


Red Moon

by emygrl99, LeafyxEmy, leafyxthiefy



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood, Drama, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Minor Character Death, One Piece Big Bang, One Piece Big Bang 2016, Past Child Abuse, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-05-01
Packaged: 2018-06-05 11:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 123,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6703183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emygrl99/pseuds/emygrl99, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafyxEmy/pseuds/LeafyxEmy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafyxthiefy/pseuds/leafyxthiefy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sabo is captured by vampires during battle, he knows that he's done for. But in the grand castle where he's being held prisoner, he's unexpectedly reunited with someone he thought had died long ago. Five year old Luffy is unchanged - literally - with no memories of his past but plenty of stories about his time spent with the Whitebeard family and a man he calls Acey. Soulmate AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Our entry for the One Piece Big Bang this year. Art was done by the lovely shishiswordsman, which you can find here: http://bit.ly/23gAGDQ
> 
> The story was also beta'd by shishiswordsman, and we couldn't have done this without her help!

A young man sighed, tapping out an indistinguishable rhythm against his thigh restlessly. He’d been feeling uneasy all night thanks to an odd pain in his his side. It felt like he’d been caught by surprise and rammed by a hungry Luffy, but the child was inside and asleep, as he should be at this time of day.

Instead of joining the child in his slumber, he sat at the edge of the castle’s roof, green eyes cast upon the horizon as the dull ache continued to gnaw at his side. Every pseudo breath he took made his body shiver, and he felt weighed down with fatigue. It was almost as if he was short of breath, but climbing up here hadn’t been taxing in the slightest, so that couldn’t be the reason. And how could he be breathless when he no longer had any need for lungs?

“Ace? Wow, I wasn’t expecting you to be awake this early, yoi,” a quiet voice spoke from behind the freckled male, who grunted in response.

Uneasiness marred Ace’s usually smiling face as he looked up to where his brother was standing beside him. “I can’t sleep, Marc. What about you, is there a meeting today?”

“Yes, Phoenix spotted a hunter camp stationed at the base of the mountain a few hours ago, yoi. We’re holding a meeting soon to discuss where to go next from here. Should I assume that you’ll be skipping this one as well?” he asked, frowning down at Ace.

A small twist of his lips was Ace’s only reply. He didn’t like the meetings, and in fact, he was notorious for taking every possible opportunity to avoid them. “Nah, Lu’ll be getting up soon, I should keep him busy for you guys. Unless you want me to bring him with me?” he teased.

Only sighing in response, the blond wished Ace a good night and made his way back inside, leaving Ace alone with his thoughts and that damn phantom ache once more.

This was the third camp they’d taken over in a full moon cycle. Those hunters were certainly getting cocky, it was a wonder how they hadn’t taken themselves out by now.

As Ace continued to sit in silence and watch the slowly darkening sky, he became aware of a throbbing pain in his feet as well. His comfort levels were quickly plummeting into nonexistence, and the longer he sat here, the more his lungs burned, demanding for the breath he no longer needed. With practiced ease, Ace willed the sensations to the back of his mind, refusing to give them the attention they longed for.

Instead, the dark-haired prince focused on the sun setting in the blood red sky, its flames pressing against the bare flesh of his torso and warming the blood that had run cold within his veins so many years ago. The trees on the mountain below him were painted every possible shade of gold, red, and orange, giving off the illusion that they were burning in the waning light. Emerald eyes watched the large star as it slowly sunk below the horizon, taking the bright colors of sunset with it. Violets and midnight blues blended beautifully with pinks and oranges, creating unique color combinations never seen before. Their bold colors nearly took Ace’s mind off of the discomfort plaguing him, but they returned after only a few moments, relentless in their need to be acknowledged.

Ace turned away from the sunset grudgingly, but not before capturing the scene once more in his mind’s eye. Sunset was his favorite time of day, but he was rarely awake in time to watch one in its entirety. Perfectly capturing the colors of a sunset on paper was always a challenge, but it was a peaceful one. Maybe, if he could find enough time later, he would try to recreate this moment. If he could focus past the strange aches he was feeling, that is.

Ace stood and slipped back inside the castle, just as a joyous laugh rang through the corridors.

“Acey!” a child cried out, and Ace braced himself just in time to capture the small boy in his arms. “Acey, I just had the best dream! There was this yellow flower that was brought to the castle, but then it was bent all wrong and it started to fade, but then-” The child stopped and rubbed his sleep filled eyes blearily, a small yawn interrupting his story. “Then… shishishi, it was a neat dream,” he finished. Ace smiled fondly, his discomfort fading to the back of his mind.

“That sounds like a great dream, Luffy. A flower, huh? Like the ones in Izo’s garden?” he asked curiously.

Luffy climbed up onto Ace's shoulders and perched himself there, leaning against Ace’s head in a comforting manner that the older raven appreciated. “Yeah, but even beautifuller! You were in my dreams too, Acey, and so was Pineapple and Thatchy and mister Moustache! It was fun,” Luffy decided, and Ace believed him. Most of Luffy’s dreams were tons of fun, filled with adventures and excitement. One could expect no less from a five year old’s imagination, after all.

“Oh, Ace! Is it time for meat yet? I’m starving!” the boy asked excitedly, gripping onto Ace’s hair and leaning forward precariously.

“It should be. What do you say we go take a look?” Ace grinned deviously as he heard doors being opened far below them. The meeting was about to start, meaning that most everyone in the castle would be down there and far away from the kitchens, including a certain head chef who usually guarded the galley like a hellhound. “What do you say to an early kitchen raid?” he asked the child on his shoulders.

Luffy’s eyes practically sparkled at the suggestion. “YOSH! MEAT AND JUICE!” the five year old cheered, pumping his small fists in the air and making Ace laugh at the unique enthusiasm the child possessed.

He quickly put a finger to his lips, signalling to be silent. “Remember what I told you Luffy? We have to be extra quiet when we go on kitchen raids, Thatchy doesn’t like it when we’re noisy.”

The words had Luffy shushing back up immediately, though he still swayed with excitement, happily murmuring under his breath about meat and juice. Ace chuckled and took off down the corridor, opting to take the longer route to the kitchen in hopes that they’d avoid running into the others along the way.

Less than a minute later saw the pair sitting in the large walk-in cabinet in the kitchen. The cooks had apparently seen it fit to start the meal later than usual, and as a result it was still cooking over a slowly burning fire. While they waited, Ace had diverted Luffy’s attention to the pantry for some pre-breakfast snacks.

“Acey, I found the pudding!” Luffy announced triumphantly, holding out his findings to the older, but Ace wasn’t seeing Luffy. He’d been drawn off into the distance by the growing sense of discomfort again. An opened bag of jerky lay in his lap, but the food inside was untouched as Ace tried to pinpoint why he felt so _off_.

“Ace?” Luffy tried again, nudging the father’s foot in an attempt to get his attention. “You look sad Acey. You need a flower,” the child stated and climbed into Ace’s lap, snapping the older vampire back to the present. Luffy impatiently shoved a pack of pudding into Ace’s hands to open.

Ace smiled down at him, shaking his head. “I’m fine, I just couldn’t sleep. No need to worry,” he assured, ruffling Luffy’s hair affectionately. He opened the pudding container for the child, but not before swiping some away with a strip of jerky.

“Stingy Ace,” Luffy accused, puffing out his cheeks in protest before taking some jerky and doing the same. Ace laughed at that, and Luffy’s smile grew at the sound.

As soon as the food was ready, Luffy jumped up and raced into the empty kitchen, crying, “Meeeeeaaaaaat!”

Ace got up as well and followed after him, watching with a fond smile as the child ran around the kitchen chanting “meat, meat, meat!”

The unnatural cold he’d felt before surrounded him again, making Ace shiver slightly. It was odd that he was still cold inside of the warm kitchen, but it wasn’t anything some warm stew couldn’t solve. Ace grinned, opening a pot and serving himself and Luffy two generous servings each.

“If you’re hungry, you could always ask for something instead of sneaking around and stealing everybody’s food, yoi.”

Ace jumped a foot in the air as the door opened, much to Luffy’s amusement. “Pineapple! Have breakfast with us!” the child called out and dug back into the meal, not caring in the slightest that they’d just been caught red handed.

Ace grinned sheepishly as Marco approached them. “But it’s more fun for Lu when we sneak, and nobody was around so technically it wasn’t even sneaking?”

“The Pirate King doesn’t sneak!” Luffy added cheerfully.

“So those _weren’t_ your hushed whispers just now,” Marco said dryly, though a slight twitch of the lips gave away his amusement. “I only dropped by because Thatch was afraid for his meal, but I see now that I’m too late.” He glanced down at the incriminating bowls sitting in front of them.

Ace smiled innocently. “Whispers? We have no idea what you’re talking about, right Luffy?”

“Shishishi we’re on a meat hunt!” the boy announced loudly before lowering his voice as an afterthought. “But we gotta be very quiet because it’s a surprise from Thatchy,” he revealed in a hushed tone before Ace could intervene. Ace facepalmed mentally at the child’s inability to keep a secret or even lie.

“I told you it was a secret Lu,” he said disapprovingly, and Luffy looked at him with wide eyes.

“But Acey, we can trust Pineapple, right? He’s on my crew after all!” Luffy turned to Marco again with a bright grin. “And Pineapple likes flowers too!”

Marco looked between the two for a moment before sighing and taking a seat at the table with them. “Do you care to remind me again why you’re not at the meeting? There’s a reason that it’s mandatory for all commanders, yoi.”

“Because they say the same thing every time,” Ace groaned. He pushed the last of his stew across the table to Luffy, who happily accepted it. “I know we took over a camp and I assume we’re taking that as a chance to expand our boundaries?”

“Essentially yes, though it’s more of a warning to other hunters who may be growing overconfident. We were discussing what to do next when I left, yoi.” His eyes flickered to the window behind Ace. “The remaining survivors should be here any minute, actually.”

Ace snorted, “I don’t know why we bother taking them in Marc, all we’re doing is wasting food to feed them.” He suppressed a violent shudder as the cold suddenly returned, much stronger than before. “Do you think they’ll even talk? Just drain them and make them useful that way,” he muttered, glancing at Luffy who was ignoring their conversation in lieu of Ace’s uneaten food.

“The camp was a fairly sized one, they were too big of a threat to ignore. And since they’re stationed so close, it’s worth bringing a few back to see what they know, yoi. They’re likely to have information on the other’s movements, and it seems like they’re planning something,” Marco trailed off, drumming his fingers on the table in thought.

“Hunters are loyal dogs Marc, they won’t talk. We’re just wasting time and resources,” Ace sighed.

“There’s always a few who won’t talk, but we can’t simply pass up an opportunity to gain more information, yoi,” Marco pointed out, though he sounded resigned to the fact. “They’re having me oversee the interrogations again.”

Ace wasn’t a fan of humans by any account, but he knew Marco and the others held a higher regard for them and some sort of compassion for their kind, even. They never wanted to fight these humans, but the hunters had forced their hand, and now they did what they had to in order to protect themselves.

“What can I say, your bird’s eye can spot a lie from a mile away,” Ace attempted a light, teasing joke even as the cold continued to plague him, making his skin itch uncomfortably. Disguising a shudder as a stretch, Ace stood and headed back to the burning fire where the food was cooking. “Do you want some stew?” he asked amiably, already refilling his and Luffy’s bowls.

Marco rolled his eyes at the poor joke, shaking his head. “No, Thatch will smell it on me if I eat any. I already know what your answer will be, but I assume you won’t be making an appearance at all?”

“Thatch _does_ have a good nose, the ba- barbarian,” Ace amended, setting the bowls carefully on the table once more. “Nah, as interesting as it is to listen to everybody arguing over who gets what food and land, I don’t really care.” Marco didn’t press the matter; the meetings were something they’d argued about countless times and by this point there was nothing either could say to sway the other.

There was a loud clatter as Luffy almost knocked over his bowl, and both vampires instinctively glanced over to see if he was alright. Ace laughed at the look of utter surprise on Luffy’s face, disguising yet another shudder.

“Ace, what’s wrong, yoi?” Marco finally sighed, unable to ignore it any longer. “You’ve been shivering the entire time I’ve been here.”

“I’m not shivering, your eyes are just too droopy to notice,” Ace defended and took another swig of his stew, trying to hold onto the warmth for as long as possible before it would be consumed by the cold.

Marco gave him an unimpressed look. “Don’t lie to me.”

“And the bird’s eyes strike again,” Ace grumbled and waved away Marco’s concern. “I’m fine, just feeling a little cold. It’s nothing a good stew can’t fix.”

Marco considered that for a moment before nodding and standing up. “Alright. I’ll be returning to the meeting then. If you have any sense of self-preservation, you’ll make yourselves scarce sometime within the next five minutes,” he hinted.

“Will do, have fun in that meeting!” Ace called out wryly, saluting as Marco left. “Whoever finishes last is a rotten egg,” he challenged Luffy, to which the child yelled that it wasn’t fair and began chugging down the soup faster than before.

Luffy won by a single gulp, proudly declaring so before the duo was off and out of the kitchen before a certain redhaired chef came to scold them over the unplanned meal.

* * *

 

Sabo gave a grunt of surprise as he was roughly shoved from behind by one of the guards, tipping him off balance. His hands instinctively tried to reach out and stop his fall, but they were unhelpfully restrained behind his back, forcing him to land hard on his knees. He winced as the impact jarred his weary body, but quickly got back on his feet, ignoring how they protested the action. He caught back up with the group at his own leisure, but fast enough that the guard couldn’t shove him again for being too slow.

Pissing off these vampires was the only way he could fight back now, so Sabo took advantage of every possible chance he got.

The attack on their camp had been entirely unexpected; even now Sabo was still trying to figure out how nobody had seen it coming. All he knew was that one minute he was sitting by a fire chatting with Koala, and the next they were surrounded by vampires. It was chaos, fighting back. The normally so meticulously organized hunters had splintered into mayhem and blind panic in a matter of minutes, overtaken by an every-man-for-themselves mentality. It had been an utterly embarrassing defeat in every sense of the word.

He’d also lost his staff at some point, but that hardly mattered anymore. There were too many vampires for him to fight all one on one. From what he’d seen, everybody in the camp had been killed except for the other dozen or so hunters who’d been ‘spared’. None of them were his friends, and Sabo felt sick thinking about just how many of them there’d been only this morning. The downcast faces he saw around him were familiar, but only in the way someone you saw fairly often but never spoke to was familiar. Logically he knew what that meant for Koala and the others, but the vampires had attacked late in the day when the sun was still up, there was a chance a few people could have survived. Sabo held onto that possibility as they continued walking through the forest, being prodded and shoved whenever their escorts deemed their pace too slow, which was to say all the time.

The procession walked in silence through the forest, the only sounds being those of animals moving about and calling to each other through the trees, the scuffling of tired feet on the ground, and the labored breathing of some of the more wounded hunters. They were all tired from the fight, and their feet were aching and raw from being made to walk through the forest for hours on end barefoot. Sabo supposed he’d gotten off lucky in terms of injuries compared to the others though; he’d only received a few scrapes and nasty bruises where one of the others had a nasty gash over their eye that was bleeding profusely.

Not for the first time, Sabo wondered where the hell they were going. The slope of the ground beneath him had steadily been growing steeper as they headed up the very mountain the camp had been settled at the bottom of. The prisoners - that’s what they were now, Sabo realized with grim certainty - were all reaching their physical limits, slowing down despite the guard’s continued ‘encouragement’.

Just as he thought this, they broke through a clearing in the trees, revealing a grand stone castle sitting on the side of the mountain. Lights flickered softly from the windows, lighting up the ground below. The sight was actually quite beautiful, rustic even, and Sabo would have appreciated it more had the circumstances been different. The fact remained that the castle they were heading towards was one ruled by vampires, and it was more than likely that none of the hunters would come back out alive.

Sabo wished he could have had a chance to observe his new prison more, but the guards allowed him no such luxury as they pushed the group to move faster now that they’d finally arrived. They crossed the grounds quickly, passing through a pair or large ornate doors and, once inside, Sabo looked around curiously.

The inside looked how a castle should, he supposed. He’d never been in one prior to now and as they trudged down long hallways, Sabo realized he’d been expecting dark, damp rooms overtaken with pests. It was a ridiculous assumption in hindsight, vampires were creatures of comfort above all else. They wouldn’t have stood for those filthy living conditions in the slightest.

They travelled down endless corridors and huge staircases, and Sabo found himself impressed by the size of everything here. They never met another soul as they made their way through the castle, which was definitely unusual. If this coven was large enough to necessitate an entire castle, surely they would have crossed paths with one of the inhabitants by now. Of course it was possible they simply knew the path the group would take and were purposefully avoiding it, but it gave the whole castle an eerie, empty feeling.

When they reached their final destination in the dungeons, a guard took Sabo roughly by the arm and shoved him into a cell at the very end of a long, damp hallway, making Sabo stumble with the force used. He glared at the vampire as they shut the barred door behind him, locking it with a thick iron key before leaving, not sparing him another backward glance.

Once their footsteps faded away, Sabo moved to the front of the cell, testing the bars even though he knew that they would be solid, immovable. He paced the circumference of the cell, his hand trailing along the cobblestone walls. They’d been smoothed down, and Sabo had no luck trying to pry a stone away, or even chipping it. The floor was stone as well, dirty and stained with some dark substance that Sabo didn’t particularly care to identify.

In the back right corner was a small window with bars, smaller than his shoulder width. Peeking out of it, he only saw grass and the trees a distance away, meaning that most of the cell was actually underground. There was no cover of any kind, and Sabo shivered slightly as a breeze drifted through the cell. That would certainly get troublesome at night, and Sabo pulled his jacket tighter around his frame.

He sighed and slid down the wall, finally giving his feet the rest they so desperately wanted. It was ridiculous, taking their shoes of all things, but Sabo supposed they’d accomplished their goal of tiring him and the other hunters out. His feet throbbed, and Sabo tried to massage some warmth into them as he sat and thought.

The longer he stayed here, the smaller his chance of escape would be, but he was already exhausted and couldn’t see any way to escape as of now. He knew they’d brought him here to try and extract information, and he wasn’t looking forward to their methods for motivating their prisoners in the slightest.

It was frustrating, to think he was already doomed, that all hope was lost. All those years of training and risking his life on missions would go down the drain by the end. He always thought he would die valiantly in a battle, or protecting his family. Not in some reclusive castle in the middle of nowhere, defenseless and ultimately anonymous in death.

Sabo shook his head, banishing those thoughts. He couldn’t give up, there was always a chance some of the hunters had survived, or at least someone could come across the camp and organize a search party to find survivors. Vampires didn’t just swoop out of nowhere, destroy an entire camp, and then disappear without a trace. They generally preferred to stay close to home, and Sabo knew that his fellow hunters would realize that before long. As unlikely as it may be, there was still a chance of survival, and Sabo focused on that.

There was still hope.


	2. Chapter 2

“Shishishi, a secret cave!”

Sabo lifted his head slowly as he was pulled from the dregs of sleep. At first he thought that it was one of the guards, but soon realized that it couldn’t be; the guards were stoic, controlled, unbothered and unrushed. And the footsteps that Sabo was hearing now were light and fast-paced, as if someone small was running down the hallway.

_A child?_

Sabo lifted his head higher and shook off the last of his sleep, shuffling towards the front of his cell the best he could without actually getting up. He had a lovely view of the empty cell across from his and he could see maybe ten feet down the hall to his left, not nearly far enough to see who -or what- this new arrival was.

The person was definitely coming closer, continuously babbling about something Sabo couldn’t quite make out.

“Aha!”

Suddenly, there was a finger right in Sabo’s face, and the hunter jumped back, almost falling over in his surprise. He’d been right in assuming that it was a child, but the newcomer was shrouded in sable shadows, leaving Sabo with no way of distinguishing any defining features.

In any case, there was only one question of actual importance; what was a kid doing down here?

“Are you a cave person?” the boy asked curiously and gasped in shock, eyes widening considerably. “Are you a yeti?”

Sabo didn’t immediately respond, staring at the child with growing confusion. That voice, and his hair… Sabo strained to see the kid’s face properly in the darkness of the cell, because there was no way... surely he was just mistaken. But no matter how many times he tried to blink them away, the similarities didn’t disappear. The boy was waiting for an answer, peering at Sabo with rapt attention and not a single care in the world.

_How could he be here?_

Sabo cleared his throat, not taking his eyes from the child. His throat was sore from a lack of use as well as thirst, and his voice sounded hoarse. “Luffy?”

The child perked up at the name, his smile growing. “Shishishi, yep! But yetis don’t talk, they roar, like this!”

He stood up tall on his tiptoes, fingers curled into make believe claws above his head as he let out a roar similar to that of a bear, or a mountain cat. “Now you try, and I’ll be the explorer that beats you up!” he ordered, returning to his normal height and looking at Sabo eagerly.

Sabo wasn’t listening to the kid’s rambling, not really. He was too caught up with taking in each and every detail, trying to find something to disprove himself. But there was no denying it; this kid… was Luffy. He was just how Sabo remembered him- literally. He wore the same smile, had the same laugh, even had the same scar right below his left eye.

Luffy looked exactly the same, hell, even his hair was the same length, but that just wasn’t possible. How could Luffy be _here_ of all places when he’d died fourteen years ago?

Sabo’s mind scattered to find an explanation, jumping from idea to idea before settling on something reasonable. Luffy _couldn’t_ be here, there was no explanation for it. He must be hallucinating, or at the very least dreaming. It was possible that he’d breathed in some strange chemical during the interrogations and now they were messing with his mind, presenting to him the spitting image of a person he’d loved and lost.

His body relaxed, and Sabo eyed Luffy with newfound interest. The illusion was extraordinarily real; Sabo kept noticing these small details that he thought he’d forgotten. Hallucinating was never anything but bad, but Sabo supposed he wouldn’t mind having somebody to talk to who wasn’t a vampire trying to extract information from him. It would be a nice change of pace, at the very least.

Only a few days had passed since his capture, but Sabo was already tired, pushing well past the point of exhaustion. His body ached and he could rarely catch more than a few hours of sleep at a time, not to mention that the food they tossed at him was less than appetizing, but Sabo was managing.

“Who’re you calling a yeti?” he asked slowly, keeping his voice playfully threatening.

“You! Do you know where the treasure is?” Luffy asked excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates you know, and Acey and Pineapple said I have to find all of the treasure to do that.”

“Acey and Pineapple?” Sabo repeated, sounding impressed. Hearing Luffy’s age old wish brought a smile to Sabo’s face, something he hadn’t done for days now.

“Yeah, Pineapple and Acey know everything! When I grow up I’m gonna be just like them, but stronger. I’m gonna be even stronger than mister Moustache,” he boasted, puffing up his chest proudly.

“Well if they say so…” Sabo glanced around and leaned in closer to the child as if he was about to tell a great secret. “It’s down that corridor, first door on the right.” He imparted that bit of wisdom with a wink, and Sabo swore he could see stars shining in Luffy’s eyes.

“Thanks mister Yeti! I’m not sharing though.” The boy went from cheerful to glaring within a moment, and Sabo chuckled.

“You can have it, no worries,” he assured, and Luffy’s happy demeanor returned just as quickly as it had disappeared.

“Good, cause I’m gonna be King of the Pirates no matter what,” he announced and scrutinized Sabo closely. “Hey mister Yeti, do you poop?”

Sabo barked out a laugh at that, knowing he should’ve expected the question at one point or the other. “I do.”

“You look like you do,” Luffy hummed in agreement. “I like you, mister Yeti, I’m making you my new friend.”

“Well that’s good, I guess.” Sabo looked down at his already tattered clothing. “A yeti though, am I already that dirty?”

“Shishishi, yetis are awesome though! Do you think I could be a yeti too?” Luffy asked excitedly, making himself look as big as possible while baring his teeth at Sabo.

His overly enthusiastic gesture made him stumble and knock his head into the bars of Sabo’s cell, and only then did the child finally seem to notice the barrier between them. “Were you being bad, mister Yeti?” he asked, rubbing his forehead.

Sabo’s lips twitched up into a smile and he shook his head with a yawn as drowsiness slowly began to settle over him once more. Proper rest was few and far between, thanks to the guards doing rounds every few hours or so and waking up everybody who was asleep. It was annoying as hell, but maybe now that he’d indulged himself a bit in this fantasy, he could get in an hour or two before the guards came back.

He heard Luffy leaving with a laugh, and Sabo smiled once more at the sound even as he was being pulled under. He’d missed that laugh so much. As the footsteps faded away, Sabo finally let himself drift into the unconsciousness his body so desperately needed.

He slept peacefully for the first time in days, lulled by dreams of happier times with a black haired boy.

* * *

 

A few hours later, Ace had found Luffy out in the courtyard talking excitedly about a new friend he’d supposedly made that day, and the treasure he’d ‘found’ deep within a secret cave. The conversation had lead to Ace bringing Luffy up to the castle’s attic to search for some treasure he’d planted there the night before.

“Find it yet, Luffy?” Ace asked from behind the box he was currently looking through. It was full of masquerade attire from an event they’d held god knows how long ago, and Ace smiled at the mismatched masks and gowns. He had an idea. He slipped on one of the masks at random and crept over to where Luffy had climbed inside one of the larger boxes to search for the treasure.

“...I found it!” In his excitement, Luffy accidentally tipped the box over, sending him tumbling to the floor and burying him in a mound of other random things that had been inside the box along with the treasure. He quickly crawled out from under the pile, proudly presenting a pearl necklace.

The treasure was soon forgotten, however, as Luffy noticed Ace’s mask and the boy jumped to his feet, stars sparkling in his eyes. “Mister, your mask is so cool! Where’d you get it?”

Ace was impressed by how quickly Luffy had found the treasure, they’d only been up here for ten minutes at the most. _He’s definitely getting better at it_ , Ace thought, _maybe I should up my game?_ He instinctively reached out to steady Lu before pressing a finger to his lips slyly. “It’s a secret. But hey, do you want to see a magic trick?”

The older vampire’s smile grew as Luffy nodded vigorously. He always loved entertaining his little charge with a trick or two whenever possible. Ace crouched down in front of the kid, presenting his hands to show that they were empty.

“Ready, ready,” he murmured, closing his palms and turning them around in a series of graceful gestures before reaching behind Luffy’s ear and pulling a gold coin from his sleeve.

“You have coins behind your ears!” he gasped and revealed the coin to Luffy, whose eyes grew even wider at the sight. “Are you made out of gold, Lu?”

“Am I?!” Luffy’s hands immediately flew up to behind his ears, pawing at them and trying to shake out more gold. When none appeared, he pouted back up at Ace. “It’s not working…”

“No no, you just need to do it a certain way,” Ace laughed and patted Luffy’s head. He took Luffy’s hands into his own and began moving them about the same way Ace had done to him. Then when he positioned them behind his ear, he slipped another gold coin into Luffy’s hand. “Would you look at that, I’m made of gold too!”

Luffy gasped in wonderment again, staring down at his hands with wide eyes, as if he was seeing them for the very first time. “Do you have any more?”

“No, I can only make gold once a day,” Ace replied somberly. “Ready for the next trick?” he asked, grinning widely and leaning forward.

“Yeah, yeah!”

“And for my final trick, I will turn into a super awesome vampire…” He paused for dramatic effect before taking Luffy’s hands again and using them to help pull off the mask. “ _Boo_.”

Luffy jumped back in shock. “Acey! How’d you do that? Are you made of gold too?” Luffy hurriedly mimicked the gesture once more, but much to his disappointment, no gold appeared.

The laugh Ace had been about to give was suddenly cut short as he was struck by a seemingly invisible force, and his body rocked backwards with a surprised grunt.

The change went unnoticed by Luffy, who was enthusiastically rambling on about all the things they could do now that they could make gold. He soon quieted, however, as he noticed that Ace wasn’t saying anything. “Acey, what’s wrong?”

Ace shook his head as an unseen cold blow was dealt to his spine, leaving the muscles and the tissue trembling with pangs of burning pain. The burning cold travelled up his back and focused there for a moment, before moving towards his front.

Luffy repeated his question, snapping Ace back to the present. He smiled tightly, running a hand over Luffy’s hair.

“N-nothing, I’m okay,” he lied, trying to keep his teeth from biting off his tongue with their chattering. He looked over Luffy with concern, unsure of whether it was just him feeling this. “Are you okay, Luf? You’re not cold, are you?” he asked as calmly as he could, not wanting to worry the boy.

Luffy shook his head, and Ace’s worry eased some. The icey cold he was feeling was nearly unbearable. Even the cold he’d been feeling prior to now was nothing more than a summer breeze in comparison.

“Are you cold?” Luffy asked concernedly, glancing around before reaching up to his hat and placing it on the older raven’s head. “There! My hat’ll keep you warm!” he declared proudly, and Ace clung to the small amount of warmth it provided before it was sucked away by the unrelenting chill that was quickly overtaking his body and mind alike. He was trembling visibly now, but Ace repressed the shivers, struggling to keep a light tone.

“Thank you, I’m all warm now.” He gave the child a smile, not letting it waver in the slightest. A hard and rough sensation began scrubbing at Ace’s skin then, and his chest turned an angry red. The only reason Ace was able to hold back a hiss of pain was because of his tight lipped smile.

Luffy didn’t seem quite convinced, so Ace quickly asked, “where’s the treasure you found?”

“Oh, yeah!” Luffy perked up at the reminder, retrieving the pearl necklace from where he’d dropped it back in the pile. “It’s one of those important things the people in the hallway always wear,” Luffy explained cordially, holding the necklace up for Ace to marvel at.

“Very nice Lu, they’re called mother of pearls, they’re…” Ace’s voice trailed off and he had to stop himself from flinching back and baring his fangs at Luffy. The burning scrubbing was spreading, converting his neck and upper back to that same cherry red color his chest was. Ace held it all in though, swallowing down the pain and stroking through Luffy’s hair. “They’re not only pretty, but rare too, a must-have for all pirates.”

“Mother of pearls? Does that mean there’s father pearls too? And baby pearls? What about old man pearls?” Luffy went on to list all of the possible pearls there could be, seemingly oblivious to Ace’s rising discomfort.

Ace wanted to pull back from Luffy; his every instinct demanded that he move away and get rid of the phantom menace plaguing him. His skin now held more color than it had in centuries and, had he been human, the heat radiating from the affected area would have been just as unbearable as the ever present frigid cold.

“We’ll have to ask Pineapple,” Ace managed to choke out. He sat back on the floor, curling in on himself just enough to hide his face and reddened skin. His eyes shut as his fangs elongated, veins growing more pronounced and his breathing became increasingly laboured.

What was wrong with him? Was he cursed somehow? Ace had no clue, but he knew that whatever was happening, he didn’t want Luffy to be around to see it. “I think there’s more treasure somewhere around here Lu… why don’t you go look for it? I-I’ll catch up in a minute.”

Luffy didn’t immediately respond to the suggestion, and Ace could sense him moving closer. “Are you still cold Acey? I’ll go find a blanket, stay here!” he commanded before running away into the depths of the large attic.

“Be careful!” Ace called out after him, eyes opening to watch Luffy leave through a curtain of hair. Once out of sight, Ace bit his lip harshly, drawing blood as his fangs easily pierced the fragile skin there.

“Fuck, what is going on?” he growled under his breath, staring as the skin of his right arm followed suit with the rest of his torso, turning bright red. The skin had already felt incredibly sensitive and raw, and then the burning headed lower.

He jumped as something heavy was sloppily draped over his shoulders, and Ace realized that Luffy had come back with the blanket. He wrapped it tightly around his body, shivering even as the blanket was doing its job and providing warmth. He felt like he was sitting naked and wet inside of a freezer, exposed.

“Acey, are you okay?” Luffy asked, concern apparent in his voice. The child placed a hand on Ace’s forehead as if checking the older vampire’s temperature, but even his naturally cool skin felt warm to Ace. “Acey?”

Ace shook his head but was unable to muster up a smile, shuddering as yet another wave of frozen fire washed over him.

“I’m fine, it-it’s just cold. I bit m-my lip. Silly me, right?” he laughed, but was unable to withhold the sharp hiss that escaped as the harsh scrubbing reached underneath his shorts, hitting the sensitive area there. His fangs sunk into his lower lip yet again, but the small sting did nothing to distract him from the agonizing friction.

“I’m gonna go get Pineapple. Stay there Acey, I’ll be right back!” Luffy ran off, gone before Ace could get a word in edgewise. He cursed loudly as soon as Luffy was out of earshot, and his words surely would have put all great pirates to shame as Ace began tearing at what little clothing still remained on his body. His palms pressed down on the sensitive skin there, but he was allowed no reprieve from the torment. The pain and irritation continued to spread, and if Ace didn’t know any better he’d say the flesh was ready to bleed. Drops of red blossomed on his skin, but it was just blood from his lip, it had to be.

By the time Ace sensed Marco’s presence, he’d draped the blanket around his exposed lower half, staring resolutely at the floor in front of him.

“I’m fine, bird brain. Could you-” Ace paused and flinched harshly as another wave of pain washed over him. “Could you tell Luffy I am fine? I don’t want him to worry,” he requested stiffly.

Marco was taken aback by Ace’s strained voice, taking notice the bits of clothes strewn about. He’d sent Luffy off to fetch Ace some more from his room, and it was just the two of them in the attic.

Ace snarled into his hand as the pain spiked once more, glaring as he looked up to see the familiar mop of blond hair. “Damn it pineapple pants, it’s just a rash or something.”

Marco brushed off the nickname, crouching down next to Ace. “What did you do? You’re bleeding, yoi.”

Ace smirked the best he could at Marco’s concerned tone. “Your feathers are showing again, chicken head.”

“At least I can keep my pants on,” Marco quipped back easily, carefully taking Ace’s arm to inspect where blood was beginning to well on the bright red skin.

“Clothes were never my forte,” Ace scoffed, frowning as he looked at the skin that continued to glow an angry red. “The bleeding isn’t as bad as it looks,” he grumbled, hissing as yet another wave of pain and frigid cold rushed over him. He shivered violently into the blanket, staining it with crimson blood.

“It’s _f-freezing_ in here Marc. It’s like a sharp c-cold, or a rash, and everything h-hurts.”

“Has this happened before?” Marco asked, and Ace turned his head away, biting his lip.

“I’ve been feeling cold these past few days, since the day of the meeting actually.” He shuddered as the cold continued making itself known, tearing at him mercilessly. “It’s been on and off, n-no specific pattern that I can tell, but… is it a-a rash, Marco? It’s not contagious, is it?” he asked quietly, thinking of Luffy. Ace spent most of his time with the boy, and the rest of the family as well to a lesser extent. If he’d come down with something, it would almost definitely spread.

Marco shook his head. “This is definitely not any type of rash. Your body is technically dead, Ace, there’s no blood or warmth for anything to live or cultivate in, yoi. You’re about as useful as a rock to infectious bacteria or parasites of any kind. You say they aren’t consistent, you may have to just wait them out until I can find out more about this. Is there anything else you can tell me?”

Ace nodded resignedly. He’d thought as much, that this was something he’d have to wait out. “It f-feels like a barbed wire is being raked across my s-skin,” he confessed. “The cold was never this b-bad before, but now it’s like there’s som-”

Ace’s words were cut off with a gasp, his eyes widening in sudden terror as an all too real feeling came over him. He thrashed against invisible assailants as he tried to regain his breath, his chest heaving and mouth wide open like a fish out of water. His sore chest screamed for air, for him to do something to ease the horrible sensation that was all too similar to drowning.

“Ace. _Ace_. Look at me, yoi. You don’t need to breathe any more, you’re not dying. Try to relax.”

Ace could feel Marco gripping his shoulders firmly, heard him clearly reminding Ace that he no longer needed to breathe, but it was a fruitless gesture. Panicked green eyes scoured his brother’s usually calm blue ones for any form of reassurance. Ace _knew_ that breathing shouldn’t be an issue any more, he’d stopped breathing long ago, but the fear was sewn into every fibre of his being, muddling all rational thought.

The torture stretched on for what felt like hours before the sensation finally let up. Ace was shaking uncontrollably, desperately gasping for the oxygen he no longer needed. “Tell that to... my lungs,” he wheezed, even though nothing remained of the sudden attack other than a hollow ache in his chest.

That single moment of relief was all he got before the harsh scrubbing started back up, his face and the top of his head being the new targets. Ace growled low in his throat, clamping tightly onto the blanket in his hands to refrain from lashing out at Marco, who was still crouching directly in front of him. The fabric ripped from the strain it was being subjected to, but Ace couldn’t loosen his grip. He pulled away from his brother, searching for some semblance of safety within the blanket and trying not to scratch his own face off.

“Tell it to your own lungs, you’ve never listened to me anyways,” Marco quipped back, and Ace would have smirked, but he couldn’t find it in him as the scrubbing continued to rub his face raw. It lasted for about ten more seconds before finally letting up, and Ace’s shoulders sagged in relief, only for the frigid blast to return with a vengeance like a sucker punch. It left him gasping again at the force, moving to his ribs, arms, legs, and then his groin, twice. Ace let out an indignant groan as it was hit again, curling in on himself and shivering against the bloodstained blanket.

It felt like the scrubbing attack on his skin may be over, but Ace was hesitant to believe it. The burning itching and the pain was gone, but the dull, frigid ache remained, shooting straight down to his very core. He felt like a frozen corpse, for a lack of better words.

As nothing continued to happen, Ace began to relax, loosening his death grip on the blanket when a bright flash of sharp pain flared up at the back of his legs without warning. His knees were hit next, followed by his face as if it was being rubbed on a rough surface. Had he been standing, Ace had no doubts that he would have crumpled to the ground.

After that, the pain finally began to settle the way it usually did, and Ace dared to hope against hope that it was truly over now.

He hadn’t even realized when Marco left, making note of it only when the blond returned to his side, a pile of clothes in his arms. “Luffy ransacked your closet, yoi. I sent him to go fetch some soup from the kitchens,” he explained, dropping the clothes onto the floor. His keen blue eyes inspected Ace as he sat down in front of his brother, holding out a pair of shorts and a shirt. “Is it over?”

Ace elected not to answer right away, instead focusing on evening his breaths before they stopped all together. He shook his head, slowly sitting up as well. “I’m not sure, the pain is leaving. The cold’s still there, but it’s not as bad as it was before either.” Ace smiled, his fangs receding along with the pronounced veins.

He took the shorts but declined the shirt, slipping the clothing under the blanket and dressing himself discreetly.

“Do you think I’m dying, Marco?”

Marco sighed and set the shirt down, taking a moment to choose his words. “Honestly, I’m not sure, yoi. I’ve never seen anything like this before. You seem to be recovering, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that this is over. I’ll need to do some research on this, see what I can find, yoi. Until then, try not to do anything that could trigger another attack, alright?”

“I’ll try, but I don’t see what could have caused this,” Ace murmured in reply, wiping at his blood-coated skin with the blanket and pushing away the dark thoughts that loomed in his mind. The wounds were already healing, and Ace watched the process with unabashed interest. Even after all of these years, he still hadn’t grown used to the healing capabilities that came with being a vampire. Within a minute or two, the wounds were completely healed, leaving behind only small patches of blood where the scrubbing had been especially intense.

“Don’t tell the others? I don’t want them worrying.” Ace bit his lip, gathering up the pile of clothes in an attempt to warm himself. While keeping his body warm was no longer a necessity to survive, Ace still preferred it over this perpetual ice age.

“What if this happens again, Ace? What are you going to do then?” Marco questioned, bringing attention to the thought that had been hovering in the air between them.

“Have some faith in me, Marc, I’ll figure it out. Maybe the worst is over now and it’ll never happen again?” Ace suggested hopefully, turning his head away from Marco’s disapproving gaze. “If it happens again, _severely_ , then we’ll tell Oyaji and everybody else. They have other things to worry about.” _Let’s not burden them with any more_ , he silently added.

Marco sighed again, but nodded. “Alright, but you can’t keep this up forever, yoi.”

Ace grinned brightly in thanks, moving on. “So… how much do you want to bet the soup won’t make it?”


	3. Chapter 3

Marco paused to adjust his grip on the stack of books that was slipping from his hands. He cautiously set the tower on top of his usual table in the back corner of the library, picking up the first book on the stack and settling down to skim its contents.

Since Ace’s attack a few days ago, Marco had been researching the incident as much as he reasonably could along with his other responsibilities, chasing random ideas and following every potential lead he came across. He wasn’t having much luck, however, and as a result, he’d been hard pressed to expand his search criteria so wide that he was quite literally chasing fairy tales by this point.

“You’re going to get sick from not eating, have you had any sunflower seeds or anything lately?” Thatch asked, setting down a plate of fruit in front of Marco. He pulled out a chair and sat, eyeing his eldest brother disapprovingly.

“You’ve been holed up in here for ages, Marc - even more than usual, and that’s saying something. When are you going to get a full day’s rest? The others are getting concerned, myself included. First Luffy is freaked out, then something went down with Ace and you’re all hush-hush about it, and then you shut yourself up in this cage for days on end,” Thatch listed, his tone light but clearly concerned. “You’re not nesting in here, are you?” he asked with a teasing smirk.

Marco only hummed in response, eyes still skimming the book. It wasn’t what he was looking for, and Marco sighed, delicately setting the book down on the floor behind him along with the dozens of others that hadn’t been returned to their proper places yet.

He picked out an orange from the plate of fruit and took a bite, peel and all, if only to placate his brother. “Sorry, yoi. I’ve been doing research so there hasn’t been much time for me to eat.” He selected another book from the stack and started skimming it the way he had the first. “I’m fine, honestly.”

“Well I don’t know what ‘fine’ means in your book, but in mine, it doesn’t mean looking like shit while trying to read half the library in one sitting. Seriously Marc, you’re starting to worry me,” Thatch confessed, pushing the plate closer to Marco. “Now eat some more before I have to stuff it down your throat.”

“I’m eating this orange right now, Thatch,” Marco said, taking a bite of the fruit for emphasis. Not that his body strictly needed it, but ordinary food was an easy way to tide vampires over between feedings. Marco could go quite a while in between feedings if done right, somewhere around five or six days, so really, he was doing fine in terms of his hunger.

He could see the genuine concern in his brother’s eyes though, so Marco reluctantly set the book aside, giving his full attention to Thatch. “Sorry, I’m trying to research a topic that I don’t know much about, so it’s difficult to discern what’s useful and what’s a waste of time, yoi. And it’s possible that I’ve become more invested in the challenge than is healthy, but,” Marco trailed off, at least having the decency to look contrite.

“Care to share?” Thatch asked curiously, leaning his chin on his open palm, eyes roaming over the titles of the books Marco had dug up. “That’s some pretty obscure reading you’re doing there. I may not be a bookworm puzzle master like you, but I  _ am  _ a master storyteller. Maybe I’ve heard some stories about whatever you’re looking for that isn’t in those books. What do you say, turkey boy, let me in the know?” he grinned.

Marco rolled his eyes at the nickname, selecting an apple from the tray. He turned it in his hand, observing how the light reflected off of its shiny red peel before eating it the same way he had the orange. Identifying Ace’s unknown condition was Marco’s first priority now, after all of the work he was required to do as the crown prince, of course. A fresh viewpoint on the subject would be invaluable, but he’d promised not to say anything just yet.

“I shouldn’t, I made a promise that I wouldn’t say anything about it until we know more, yoi. There’s no need to worry about me.”

“Maybe I don’t  _ have  _ to, but I’m choosing to, feather brain. That’s what brothers are for,” Thatch stated simply, frowning. “I know you promised somebody that you wouldn’t say anything, but how can you expect to be helpful when you’re half starved and sleep deprived? You don’t have to tell me everything, but I want to help, Marc. Is this about Ace?” he ventured, taking a slice of pineapple from the plate. “He’s been acting strange lately and now I find you here studying yourself to death… when I brought that soup up to the attic for Luffy a couple days ago, I could smell blood in that room.”

Marco only sighed, wishing that there was something he could say. Keeping things from his family wasn’t something Marco enjoyed, but it was exactly what he had to do now. Reassuring others had never been his forte, that was something he usually relied on Izo for. Her Inclination was useful in that regard, while Marco’s was geared towards logic and reasoning. The truth of it was that Marco simply didn’t know what he needed to say in order to keep Thatch from worrying further. The brunette had already found out more than either Marco or Ace had initially planned, there would be no way for Marco to simply brush it off or downplay the fact.

“That’s… I can’t say, Thatch,” he finally sighed, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing at his tired eyes. Promises were something Marco took seriously. While Ace still kept feeling cold at odd intervals, he’d mentioned no other symptoms, so there was no firm reason that would justify Marco telling the others yet.

The attack in the attic hadn’t reoccurred, but Marco was operating on the assumption that Ace’s condition would get worse. It wasn’t something Marco liked to consider, but it couldn’t be ignored. There was a growing possibility that there wasn’t anything he would be able to help his brother, and it would become a guarantee if he was unable to uncover more information.

“It’s not really anything you should be worried about now. If it becomes an issue, I’ll say something. You have my word.”

“I don’t like this,” Thatch muttered, crossing his arms. “You have two more days until I start bugging you about this again. Keeping your word is important, I know that, but so is the safety of our family.”

Marco’s lip instinctively curled at the very suggestion that he’d put  _ anything  _ above his family. He knew that wasn’t what Thatch was implying, but this family was everything to Marco, it would always come first above all else. He was doing this for Ace because he knew that for now, not saying anything would be the best way to protect the others from unnecessary worry. He didn’t want to say anything now, because they would undoubtedly have questions that Marco didn’t have any answers to.

“You know, I can still help you even if you don’t give me all the super juicy details,” Thatch offered, smile returning as he bumped his fist against Marco’s hand.

Marco rolled his eyes at that, and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. It couldn’t  _ hurt _ , Thatch was right, but Marco was accustomed to doing things like this by himself. It was unlikely that Thatch would be able to figure out exactly what Marco was researching anyways based from the books he was currently looking at, so why not? “How familiar are you with fairy tales, yoi?”

“I know some like the back of my hand, but is this really the time to reminisce over some age-old kids’ stories?” Thatch mused before moving on. “Which one do you want to hear? There are a couple I can name off the top of my head; the monster in the mountains, the weeping crone, the dark hound, any of those sound good?”

Marco thought on that as he took another fruit from the plate, not paying any attention to what it actually was. None of them sounded like what he was looking for, but he’d been working for a while now, the distraction would be nice if nothing else. “Tell me about the dark hound.”

Thatch rubbed his hands together eagerly, tilting his chair back until he was balancing precariously on its hind legs, wearing his trademark grin. “That one’s a human favorite, you know. Humans are such fascinating creatures, their imaginations are so vivid, though we can’t really blame them considering that vampires are the ones who make them see things in the night.

“So, we begin our story in a small village at the base of a mountain. In that village, there lived a man. He was strong, handsome, very much like myself so I hear.” He winked in Marco’s direction, who only gave him a flat look.

“Anyways,” Thatch plowed on, not deterred in the least. “This man was the best hunter around; there was nothing that could escape his sights, not a bear, a mountain lion, or even a sly wolf. However, there was one creature during his time that continued to elude him; a hound with fur as pitch black as the night, and eyes that were a bright, glowing red. Many called it the Hound of Thanatos, you know that Greek god of darkness? It was called that, because it was seemingly able to meld into the very shadows with ease. It was known for appearing in the corner of your eye at night, only to disappear into the darkness when you turned to look.

“So, this guy dedicates his life to the surrounding woods, to trapping and killing the fabled Hound of Thanatos. The first year he set out with high hopes, only to end up empty handed. The second year was much the same, as was the third and so on. It wasn’t until the eleventh year that he came across something peculiar. In the middle of the forest, he came across a woman covered in blood, but with no wounds to speak of. She’d followed her lover into the woods, concerned for his life, as he was hunting the Hound of Thanatos as well. When questioned, she told this hunter the direction he had gone, begging him to save her lover. He gave chase, hot on the trail for the hound for the first time in over a decade. An epic showdown ensues between the hunter and the hound… I’m boring you with this, aren’t I?” Thatch frowned, noticing Marco’s faraway gaze.

Marco stood up, his mind focused on one particular aspect of the story. Was it possible that he’d been looking into the wrong type of myths? With a thankful but distracted nod in Thatch’s direction, Marco was off again, heading back into the maze of bookshelves with a new destination in mind.

* * *

 

“Mister Yeti! Are you here?”

Sabo jumped, the sound of Luffy’s voice snapping him from the half-awake haze he’d fallen into. It wasn’t uncommon for him to get lost in his own head as a way to pass the time by now, but being snapped from a winding train of thought was disorienting.

A smile broke out on his face when he saw a familiar figure standing outside his cell, and Sabo shuffled closer to the front of the cell. Luffy never entered the cell, he always sat beyond the bars, and Sabo had to wonder what the symbolism behind that was; having Luffy so close but ultimately unreachable. “Hey Luffy, I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Acey got sick,” Luffy announced unhappily, but his sombre mood almost immediately dissolved back into a smile. “But he’s better now. Have you been-”

Luffy interrupted himself, leaning forward and sniffing the air. “Oh, something smells tasty! Do you have food too, mister Yeti?”

Sabo shook his head, brushing aside the way his stomach ached at the thought of food. He hadn’t been starved per say, but after who knows how many days of living with the bare minimum amount of food needed to survive, Sabo could hardly remember what not being hungry felt like.

He didn’t like to think that he was starving, slowly fading away in this cold stone cell, or that he would almost certainly be dead within the next few weeks at least.

It was a depressing concept, but there was no shortage of dark thoughts for Sabo to explore locked up in this cell, with his entire future cloudy and uncertain. He’d lost track of how long he’d been here after only two days, embarrassingly enough, so he couldn’t even roughly estimate how long he had left.

“No, but I’m glad to see you. I wasn’t sure if you were coming back again or not.” Maybe the fact that Luffy was here again was a bad sign for Sabo, but he didn’t really care any more. Hallucination he may be, but Luffy brought with him happiness; something Sabo was in great need of. He would take whatever he could get.

“Of course I came back, we’re friends, right? Friends stick together, silly Yeti. Oh! Want to know something cool?” Luffy didn’t even wait for an answer from the blond. “I have gold coins behind my ears! They only come out once a day, but I’ve been saving them and adding them to my pirate fund! Do you have gold behind your ears too? Or do you have snow cause you’re a yeti?” he asked, genuinely curious to hear Sabo’s answer.

Sabo chuckled and obligatorily reached up to feel behind his ear the best he could with his cuffed hands. Of course, he found nothing except for the odd bruise and probably some dirt. “No, only skin. Having snow behind your ear would be awful.” Sabo shuddered at the thought. He’d never been a fan of the cold, one of the reasons staying in the frozen cell was so miserable.

“Skin is boring,” Luffy pouted. “Snow is so cool though, it’s all mushy and you can make snowballs to hit Pineapple and Thatchy with!” he exclaimed happily. “We’ve all gotten into gigantic snowball fights, and sometimes Acey gets Izo or Haru or mister Moustache to fight too! It’s the funnest thing ever! Have you met any of them, mister Yeti?”

Sabo’s head tilted in confusion, trying to think of where he’d heard those names before. He remembered hearing somewhere that the brain can’t make up entirely new people, or was that just their faces? Pineapple and Moustache were odd names, but he must have heard them somewhere at some point, right? “No, I didn’t even know you liked the cold,”

“Yeah! We make entire armies of them in the winter and we make them fight with snowballs too! I’ll show them to you when the snow comes, we’ll make you a Yeti snowman!” he chirped happily, rocking back and forth and gripping onto his ankles for stability.

“I like your hair,” the boy said suddenly, his head cocking to the side as he scrutinized Sabo. “It’s all wavy, and… it’s not soft.”

Sabo’s fingers came up to comb through his matted blond hair at the mention. While his ‘bath’ a few days ago had mostly succeeded in getting rid of the caked-on dirt and dried blood on his body, the removed grime had easily been replaced within a day or two of their rough treatment. His hair had been for the most part ignored all this time, thankfully, but it hadn’t been washed, either, so Sabo could only imagine how filthy he must look.

“It’s not like I’ve had the opportunity to properly wash it,” he muttered defensively.

Luffy’s face fell. “You’re hungry,” he stated, looking troubled. “I can give you  _ one  _ lunch,” he warned the blond, shrugging off his backpack and pulling out a plain looking lunch box.

Sabo’s eyes narrowed at the sight, feeling a strange mixture of desire and disgust curl in his belly. Logically, Sabo knew that that food didn’t actually exist, but it smelled undeniably good, and he was  _ so hungry _ . His mind readily supplied fantasies of what could be inside, anything from a burger to soup to fish.

Sabo turned his head, stomach churning unpleasantly from being empty for so long. “I don’t want it.”

“I want you to have it,” Luffy insisted, pushing the lunchbox through the bars of the cell stubbornly.

“No! Stop offering me food I can’t eat, it’s just… too cruel,” Sabo whispered, voice pained as he avoided Luffy’s gaze.

“Are you a… a herbore?” the boy asked bewilderedly. “Meat is good! Eat it, you’ll like it!”

“Herbivore, and no,” Sabo corrected, sighing and dropping his head into his hands. Talking to Luffy was one thing, but offering food was just too much, too close to torture; the one thing he was looking to escape from.

“You’re not real Lu, and neither is whatever’s in that lunch box. Just leave me alone already,” he muttered. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, the fact remained that Luffy was dead. There would be no getting him back, and the sooner Sabo accepted that the better.

“I am too real!” Luffy shouted, hitting the metal bars separating the two of them and causing Sabo to flinch. “I’m here and you’re being mean, mister Yeti! Being mean isn’t nice, mister Moustache said so! Thatchy said that not eating food is rude too,” he pouted.

“I can't, I  _ can’t _ ,” he moaned under his breath, eyes squeezed shut. This hallucination was quickly losing its appeal, and Sabo just wanted Luffy to go away. He pulled his knees up to his chest and tucked his head between them in a vain attempt to escape the child.

Luffy hummed in confusion, and Sabo’s chest constricted at its familiarity. Grief overtook him, his emotions running high after what felt like weeks of nothing but hunger and loneliness in this empty cage. It was all too much for him to handle, and Sabo felt the cold draft of his stone cell now more than ever. “I don’t know who those people are, just leave me alone already! Why did you come back now? Wasn’t losing you once painful enough?”

“Mister Yeti?”

Sabo refused to respond even when he heard an unnatural creaking sound that sent a shiver down his spine. Soon after, a pair of arms wrapped carefully around Sabo’s head. “There there, you’re okay mister Yeti.”

Sabo let out a shout of surprise, ducking out of the embrace and scrambling away with wide eyes. He stared at Luffy, mind completely blank and yet racing impossibly fast at the same time.

_ What..? _

Luffy was a hallucination. He could say things, he could answer things, he could offer Sabo food. Sabo was pretty sure he could even interact with the environment. The one thing that Luffy, as a hallucination, could not do was  _ touch _ him. He couldn’t wrap his arms around Sabo’s head and he most certainly could  _ not  _ bend solid metal bars with his bare hands. He couldn’t, and yet the evidence was right in front of him.

_ But Luffy’s dead. He can’t be here. _

For a wild moment Sabo wondered if this was some random kid he’d somehow misidentified, but no. He’d talked to this kid for the past few days at least, Sabo knew without a doubt that this was Luffy. They were just too similar for it to be a coincidence.

_ But then how..? _

“Luffy? What… how are you here?”

“Shishishi, I walked here,” Luffy giggled, and Sabo watched as Luffy retrieved the lunchbox and shoved it into Sabo’s hands. “Now eat it, before your tummy eats you.”

Sabo focused on the lunchbox now in his hands. It was undeniably real, which meant that Luffy was too. He looked back up at the child in question, blue eyes drinking in every single detail. Luffy was here, he was  _ alive _ . How? He didn’t look a day older since Sabo saw him last, and a horrible sense of foreboding made his stomach twist.

“Do you… remember me? Sabo?” he asked hesitantly, afraid of what the answer would be.

“Shishishi, of course I remember you mister Yeti! I was here um… two days ago!” Luffy said, counting with his fingers and presenting three digits to Sabo.

Sabo’s heart sank, and a nagging idea began to eat at him. He shook it off though, hiding his pain behind a smile once more. He turned his attention back to the lunchbox and carefully lifted the lid to see what was inside, stomach rumbling in anticipation.

Meat. It was stuffed to the brim with meat. Of course it was. Sabo almost wanted to laugh, unsure of how he could have expected anything different.

Looking at all of this hot, fresh food had Sabo’s mouth watering, and it took all of his willpower to not just dig in. God, he wanted to, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to stomach all of it after going for so long with so little. In the bottom corner of the tin, Sabo spotted a small container of pineapples amongst the meat and pulled it out, setting the rest of the food aside. He ate the fruit slowly, savoring the sweet taste on his tongue. It was undoubtedly the most flavorful thing he’d eaten since being taken captive, and it was absolutely delicious compared to the stale chunks of bread the guards had tossed at him with a lovely side of mocking sneers.

Luffy was content to explore the small space while Sabo investigated the lunch box, poking at the poor excuse of a mattress and jumping up to grab at the windowsill, peeking out at the view Sabo had of the grounds outside. Sabo watched his wanderings with a small smile, wondering what he could possibly find so interesting in here. The child’s gaze kept trailing back to Sabo, and he wondered just what Luffy was thinking.

“So... did Acey make this? He’s your friend, right?” Sabo asked after a moment, finding himself equally unable to look away from the boy that was now sitting in front of him.

Luffy visibly brightened at the name. “Shishi, he’s my father silly, he’s way more than just a friend! We go on adventures all the time and beat up bears that’re this big!” He threw out his arms dramatically, an equally wide grin spread across his face. “We beat up giant cats too, and then there are these funny birds that we get to eat sometimes, they’re amazing! Do you hunt bears, mister Yeti?”

Sabo gave pause at  _ Acey’s  _ title of father, and he realized that Luffy must not remember his real father, either. Had he forgotten  _ everything  _ from his childhood? Sabo frowned at the thought, but didn’t dwell on it.

“I used to, before I came here,” he answered, still slowly working on the pineapples. He wanted nothing more than to just scarf them all down before moving on to the meat, but food was scarce, and Sabo needed to pace himself, or he would regret it later.

“Did the bears put you here then? Is that why you’re all smelly?” Luffy asked curiously, and Sabo only shrugged, not wanting to give a specific answer.

“Do you live in the castle?” he asked instead, turning to subject from himself.

“Mhm! I live here with Acey and Pineapple and Thatchy and mister Moustache and Stefan and-” Luffy rambled on, clearly content to talk about himself and the others in the castle. He listed off name after name, counting them on his fingers at first but losing track somewhere in the middle.

Sabo was taken aback by just how many vampires were living here, especially considering how he hadn’t come across a single one on the way in. And Luffy being able to name each and every vampire here was a feat of its own. ”Shishishi, there’s more but I can’t remember them. Oh, and you!”

_ Well, maybe not all of them. _

“That’s a lot of people, I’m impressed you can name them all. Do you… like it here? They’re taking care of you?” he asked softly, lowering the container of pineapples to hear his answer. The question was out of place with the rest of the conversation, but Sabo just wanted to know that Luffy was happy and being cared for here. He knew just how difficult looking out for Luffy was; the child wasn’t exactly low maintenance.

“Yeah! It’s awesome, we have so much fun together! You should come with us the next time we have an adventure! Oh, oh, I’ll go get Acey, then we can all go treasure hunting together!” Luffy grinned and hopped up, bouncing with excitement at the idea.

There was a rather large part of Sabo that didn’t want Luffy to leave, not so soon after being reunited, and he tried to think of a way to stall the boy. Sabo hadn’t failed to notice how Luffy’s eyes seemed to be drawn to the untouched meat in his lunchbox, and when the child started drooling, Sabo figured enough was enough.

“Do you want it?” he asked, holding out the container with an amused smile. “I’m not hungry, you can have it.”

Successfully distracted, Luffy’s eyes flickered from Sabo to the lunchbox and back again, trying to decide whether it was okay to take it. “Shishishi sure!” he agreed after a moment, taking the lunchbox and plopping back onto the floor with it. “Thatchy is the best cook ever!” he declared, digging into the meal happily, and Sabo watched his fangs slip out. He could see some veins too, but they weren’t as prominent as with adult vampires.

Sabo only sighed at the sight, eating some more pineapple as he watched Luffy tear into the meat like he hadn’t eaten in weeks. He had no clue how he was supposed to feel now that his suspicions were confirmed. Angry, shocked, relieved, mournful, glad, spiteful, disgusted, bitter, guilty? Or was there something that was in between everything?

It was confusing to say the least, and Sabo looked down at his nearly empty pineapple container. In hindsight, eating in here probably hadn’t been a very wise idea. The guards would almost undoubtedly be able to smell the food the next time they made their rounds, and who knew what would happen after that.

_ Shit. _

Well… if he was going to be punished or interrogated for having food, then he might as well finish it all and try to salvage as much energy as he could from it. The fact that he even needed this type of mindset was depressing, but necessary.

Sabo sighed, shaking his head to ward off those thoughts. There was too much for him to process, he’d have to save the in-depth thinking for after Luffy left when he’d have relative peace and quiet. “How long have you lived here?”

Luffy hummed, licking his fingers and cocking his head to the side. “You mean in the castle?” He smiled wide and moved onto the fingers of his other hand. “I’ve lived here since ever, but not as long as Pineapple or mister Moustache, they’re  _ old _ . Hey, do you want to see my room, mister Yeti? It’s huge, and there’s swords and a ship so we can be pirates! And-” Luffy paused, tilting his head. His eyes unfocused slightly, as if he was listening to something Sabo couldn’t hear.

“Acey’s back! And he brought a bear!” he announced delightedly after a moment, jumping up once more. Luffy raced out of the cell only to almost trip over the backpack he’d left by the entrance. As a second thought, he turned to peer back inquisitively at Sabo, who hadn’t budged an inch. “C’mon mister Yeti, he won’t bite.”

Sabo looked at Luffy, looked at the newly made gap between the bars keeping him trapped. He looked around the small cell he’d become unwillingly accustomed to over the days and at the small glimpse of the night sky his tiny cell window offered. God, he wanted to leave. He wanted it so badly that his chest ached with the unbridled yearning.

But he couldn’t.

He would undoubtedly end up caught one way or another if he attempted to slip away into the surrounding forest, and by this point it was painfully clear that Acey was a vampire living within the castle. Why on earth would he want to help a prisoner escape? Sabo was surrounded by monsters, and they were all faster and stronger than him. If he hadn’t been able to escape before when he was at his peak, he had next to no chance now.

So, despite his every wish, Sabo shook his head. “Nah, you can go have fun with Acey.”

Luffy pouted at that, tackling Sabo in a long hug before finally peeling away. “It won’t be as fun without you,” he said sullenly.

“I’ll still be here, you can tell me all about it when you get back,” Sabo reminded the boy, giving him a small smile. “Could you bend the bars back when you go? You shouldn’t leave them all bent up like that.”

Luffy nodded reluctantly and scooped up the lunch box, stuffing it into his backpack. He then stepped out of the cell and bent the bars back into place, much to Sabo’s wonder. They’d felt incredibly solid when he’d tested them that first night, and to see a five year old boy manipulating them so easily was strange to say the least.

“I’ll be back with snacks tomorrow!” Luffy promised before shouldering the backpack and dashing away down the corridor, leaving Sabo alone to his thoughts once more. He felt strangely hollow now that Luffy was gone and let out a heavy breath. His head tilted back, eyes staring at the ceiling uncomprehendingly.

_ What the hell just happened? _


	4. Chapter 4

The unshakable dread that Ace had felt the moment he returned to the castle with the bear carcass had persisted for the rest of night. He was, however, relieved to be rid of the insatiable hunger that had been plaguing him the past few days. Ace was known as a notoriously huge eater throughout the castle, but he’d never suffered a hunger spell that intense before.

He shrugged it off though, not mentioning it to anybody. He’d had to resort to feeding off of squirrels and rodents around the castle when nobody was around and sneaking extra portions of food from the kitchens to stave off the hunger, but none of it had ever made a difference. Not even the two bears he took down earlier had helped, and he’d been about to drain the third when his irritation and hunger vanished and was replaced with that horrible sense of dread.

It gnawed at him, twisting and coiling in his stomach throughout the remainder of the night. But just like his past odd discomforts, Ace adapted to it and ignored the dread the best he could around his family, masking his feelings until he was alone and could allow himself some room to breathe.

At the moment, he was with Luffy out in the courtyard, watching Luffy as the boy hopped around on the rocks as they made their way across the the grounds. Both of them were enjoying the last remnants of the night as dawn finally broke and the sun painted the sky a beautiful lavender orange color.

“-and that’s what I did today!” Luffy finished, having told Ace all about his newest adventures in a secret cave with the yeti. “What did you do, Acey?” he asked, setting his sights on a rock that was a bit too far away. He leaped ambitiously for the flat stone, wobbling precariously on the edge for a moment before regaining his balance and turning to Ace victoriously.

“Nice save,” the older vampire grinned, and Luffy brightened at the praise. “I didn’t do much, just hunted some bears. And then I killed one and brought it home, where I found this cute little monkey who apparently met a yeti. What’s a yeti doing in the forest anyways?” he asked, and coughed.

The cough persisted unexpectedly, and Ace faltered in his stride, swallowing it back along with rising bile. The unsettling dread he’d been feeling had suddenly warped into full-on nausea, and Ace cupped a hand over his mouth to stifle a rising gag.

 _Nonononono, not again!_ he thought, swallowing heavily. _Was there something wrong with the bear? Did it have rabies or something? That must be it._ The thought ran through Ace’s head as he choked back the acidic taste in his mouth. He took a step forward, and the bile broke through his hand, the bear’s blood seeping through his fingers and dripping onto the cobblestone path. Ace doubled over as his stomach heaved, leaving him gasping for breath and trying to fight back the rising nausea to no avail.

“Acey, what’s wrong?” Luffy was there in an instant, tugging on Ace’s pants and trying to get his father to look at him. “Are you cold again?”

Ace wanted to assure Luffy that yes, he was perfectly fine and that this was just bad bear blood, but he couldn’t get any words out. It felt like something was being shoved down his throat while at the same time something else was trying to crawl out.

Involuntary tears were welling up in Ace’s eyes, but he could see Luffy’s growing concern. Ace wished there was some way he could make that look disappear, but all he could do was continue to retch up more blood. He turned away from his son and pushed the child away with a shaky hand, not wanting to get any vomit on him.

Luffy hovered uncertainly, not knowing what to do, and they both could feel when a familiar presence had stepped out out the castle’s main doors.

“Pineapple!”

The blond was by his side within moments, brushing hair away from Ace’s face. “Ace, it’s Marco,” he said cautiously, and Ace wanted to ward him away. His green eyes peeked up to see that he still had Luffy in tow, and his gaze turned accusingly to Marco. He still couldn’t say a word though, couldn’t tell Marco to get Luffy out of here. It was all he could do just bite back the horrible choking sounds that were clawing their way up his throat.

That effort was wasted, however, as a coughing fit erupted in Ace’s chest along with another wave of nausea. His entire stomach was empty of its contents by now, and Ace looked up to Marco with watery eyes.

“I can’t- can’t keep it down,” he finally managed to grind out, coughing once more at the awful taste the vomit left behind in his mouth.

Marco said nothing to that, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out what looked like… a necklace? Marco pressed it into Ace’s hand, and the change was instantaneous. Ace didn’t immediately raise his head, even as the nausea and ache in his chest began to fade. He kept his head lowered, breathing heavily as his body tried to regain the oxygen it no longer needed.

Honestly, Ace was afraid. Cold was one thing, and that that scrubbing pain had been another, but the nausea had come so suddenly and intensely and it left his knees shaking with the exertion of holding him up even after it had gone. Whatever was happening had Ace at its complete mercy, and Ace had never wanted to feel this vulnerable again.

He counted the seconds with his breathing, and slowly, Ace’s hand came away from his mouth. His eyes fell to the crimson red blood staining it, and his sense of dread dissipated until there was nothing left but an odd sense of loss.

“What did you do?” he asked quietly, daring to raise his head to look at Marco with equal parts wonder and wariness. He then glanced at Luffy, and offered the boy a reassuring smile, wiping the blood from his lips. “It was just a bad bear Lu, but I’m better now, no need to worry.”

Luffy raced over to his father again and clutched to the fabric of Ace’s pants, making Marco smile at the sight. “What do you say we all head back inside? The sun’s almost up, yoi,” he suggested, motioning back to the castle as the first rays of sunlight began to shine on them. Already Ace could feel their weakening effects, the heavy lethargy direct sunlight always brought weighing down his limbs even further.

Ace didn’t move from that spot though, his gaze searching Marco’s for any indication that the blond knew what was happening. His brother’s half-lidded gaze was as unreadable as it had been the day they met, and Ace sighed.

He turned to Luffy, offering the child a reassuring smile. “Yeah, good idea. Hey, want to go find Thatchy and ask him for that desert he was making earlier? I’ve got to go change, but I’ll meet you soon, how does that sound?”

Luffy only gave Ace a worried look, so Ace ruffled his hair reassuringly. “I’m fine Lu, really. Go inside and I’ll catch up with you later, I promise.”

With that, Luffy nodded and once he’d slipped away, Ace let his smile fall. His shoulders sagged and he leaned heavily on Marco as they made their way inside. “Care to explain just what happened?”

“I hardly know where to start,” Marco muttered, a contemplative look on his face as they made their way through the castle. “Up until two minutes ago, I didn’t even believe that it was possible, yoi. Don’t let go of that pendant, the nausea may come back if you do,” he warned, and Ace’s grip on the necklace tightened.

His head was swimming with questions, but he refrained from voicing them just yet, instead he allowed Marco to lead him through the halls. He wouldn’t want anybody to overhear anything and think that something was wrong. Not that the assumption would be incorrect, but Ace wouldn’t be able to explain this if he tried. Marco seemed like he knew what was going on now, so there may be a chance nobody would need to get worried over this in the first place.

“Start at the beginning?” he suggested, glancing down at the amulet that was clutched in his hand. From the chain dangled a pale rock, completely unassuming in its appearance. “How is a rock supposed to help with my... illness? It doesn’t make any sense, Marco. If I’m…”

Ace paused as they reached his bedroom. He immediately disentangled himself from Marco once they were inside, and Marco closed the door behind them, leaning on the dark wood. “If I’m dying or have some crazy rare disease, how is this rock supposed to do anything?” Ace finally asked, and after a moment’s thought, he unclasped the chain, placing it around his neck.

It only took a few failed attempts before he had to turn to Marco with a hopeful look. “Give me a hand?”

Marco rolled his eyes, but stepped behind Ace anyways, taking the necklace from his hands and quickly clasping it together. He stepped back then, moving to sit in the chair in the corner of his room. “You’re not sick, and you’re not dying either, yoi. I admit that I still don’t know much, but I’ll try to explain it the best I can.”

Ace nodded, perplexed by his hesitance, and Marco took that as a sign to continue. “The humans have this old myth about soulmates. These two people are destined to perfectly complement each other, and being together is as natural as breathing, yoi. They’re very rare, but when two soulmates get close enough to each other, a bond forms between them, and they can share each other’s pain. I’m not certain how far this link goes, but if one is injured, the other will receive the same injury as if they were receiving it directly.

“As for the stone, it somehow blocks the connection between you two, so you don’t have to suffer needlessly together. It’s called a red moonstone,” he supplied.

Ace stared at Marco, saying nothing for a long time until he was sure that no more random words were about to spill from his brother’s mouth. “Alright. No, seriously, what did you find? And _please,_ leave out the crap about human fairy tales this time.”

“I _am_ being serious,” Marco insisted, meeting Ace’s skeptical gaze evenly. “I’ve scoured the entire library and this is the only explanation I could find, yoi. If you have any other ideas, I would love to hear them.”

Ace said nothing to that, eyes narrowing. Marco was acting serious, but his words were just plain absurd. He grimaced as he ran a hand through his hair, feeling the sudden urge to hit something. “And now there’s blood vomit in my hair, great. But hair problems aside, you _do_ realize how ridiculous this sounds?” he questioned skeptically.

Marco sighed, standing up and fetching a washcloth from the bathroom. He began to gently clean the drying blood from the freckled vampire’s hair, and Ace began to relax at the comforting stroke of Marco’s fingers. It wasn’t something he would ever admit, but Ace had a weakness when it came to people combing through his hair or playing with it. It would always soothe him, and the repeated motions allowed Ace to stay calm and listen as Marco explained softly about the research he’d done.

“You know me, Ace, better than I know myself at times. You _know_ how little stock I would ever put into myths and fairy tales, especially those thought up by humans yoi. I would never put my family at risk by telling them anything less than what I believe to be the truth. If I had any other possible leads on this, you know that I would have exhausted them all completely before moving onto children’s bedtime stories, yoi.” Marco shifted to Ace’s other side, continuing to clean the dark strands of vomit.

“Not that I had many leads to start with, the only thing I knew was that you were cold and bleeding without being touched. Paired with the fact that your body is dead and therefore immune to illness, there was barely anything left to look for. The only reason I turned to human myths in the first place was because Thatch came to see me and gave me an idea that I wouldn’t have otherwise considered.” He then quietly added, “He knows that something’s happening, yoi. I didn’t tell him any details, but I wouldn’t have been able to figure this out without him. We need to tell them.”

Ace sighed, shoulders deflating. “I hate when you make everything sound so logical. Only you can make impossible things like human myths seem real.” He leaned back into the cleaning towel and though the acidic scent of bear blood remained, he already felt much better.

“Let’s say for a moment that this soulmate story is true. If it is true that I’m connected to some random person out there, then what are they going though? First it was so cold I nearly bit my tongue off, then it somehow got even colder than that, and then there was the blood, starvation, and now vomiting?”

Ace’s hands clenched into tight fists. “Marc, how do you explain all that? What this other person is going through, it’s not…” Green eyes widened as a realization came to him, and Ace turned to Marco with shock. “Marco, it’s torture.”

The silence between the two was heavy. “I know,” he said arduously. He ran a hand through Ace’s hair a few times before stepping back, deeming it clean enough for now.

“These stories aren’t encyclopedias on the topic, I had to glean what I know from several different books that only mentioned it in passing, yoi. Humans are inconsistent with records and overzealous at best with their stories, it was a miracle there was any truth to them at all.”

“Stupid humans and their unreliable sources of information,” Ace grumbled, dropping to the floor as Marco moved away to return the washcloth. Picking up a previously discarded shirt, Ace began to clean off his bloodstained hand.

“At least it explains some things,” he said quietly after a moment, scrubbing at his palm. Once he deemed it clean of its previous coat, Ace sighed, pressing his head to the stone wall. “I should thank you. I know it must’ve been frustrating for you, but thank you for keeping it from the others. I don’t suppose we’ll be able to keep this secret much longer though if _Thatch_ of all people is noticing that something’s wrong.”

He immediately raised his hands up in surrender at Marco’s unimpressed look. “It’s just, how do I even explain this to them? It’s not like I can walk up to Oyaji and say ‘yo Oyaji, so guess what, I have a soulmate. Oh yeah, everything’s fine and dandy, if I suddenly collapse withering in pain don’t worry about it, that’s just my other half being brutally tortured and I get to share their pain,’” Ace scoffed. He knew he was sulking, but he didn’t care. Ace thought it was well within his rights to be allowed to be unhappy about this.

“That’s what the moonstone is for,” Marco pointed out, drawing Ace’s attention to the amulet once again. “It’ll protect you from any unexpected attacks until we have more information, yoi. It’s the only moonstone we have, so if you break it, there’s nothing I’ll be able to do,” he said sternly, though after a moment his frown softened. “We’ll figure this out Ace, this isn’t nearly the worst case scenario compared to some of the books I was looking at,” he assured, idly moving about the room and straightening it up.

“You know that Oyaji and the others will be absolutely delighted at the prospect of gaining a new family member, yoi. Now that you have the moonstone for protection, there’s no real need for them to be concerned. If anything, they’ll be outraged that somebody out there is daring to hurt one of our own. We’ll find them, Ace.”

Ace smiled faintly, glad that he had Marco on his side to help. Without his brother, Ace would still be at square one with no idea of what was happening or why. “I’m just still trying to wrap my head around this, I don’t mean to doubt you,” he said quietly, fingering the amulet.

Taking a closer look at what Marco had given him, Ace could see that the necklace wasn’t as plain as he’d originally thought. It had a long, delicate silver chain with a simple clasp, made for more delicate fingers than his own.

The stone itself was much more interesting that he’d initially thought as well. It was a milky white color, but as Ace looked closer, he could spot undertones of red and silver within the pool of white, as well as swirls of a dull grey color that would have been virtually imperceptible had it not been for his sharp eyesight. It gave off the impression that he was looking at a swirling liquid that hadn’t completely mixed yet, and though Ace was not one to wear jewelry, he couldn’t deny that the moonstone was beautiful.

He bit his lip, thinking on the information he’d been given. “Am I happy to have a soulmate, somebody I’m destined to be with? Yeah, of course I am, but part of me is having trouble coming to terms with this. It’s so sudden, and now they’re going through something horrible and there’s nothing I can do to help them _or_ myself, and…” Ace trailed off, letting out a heavy sigh. “Honestly, I think I’m just emotionally numb about all of this. Part of me is happy, but another is enraged, confused, worried, frustrated, and everything else in between,” he confessed.

“We need to find them, save them from this hell they’re going through. And for that, I’ll need my family’s help.” Ace drew in a deep breath, finally looking back up to Marco. “You’ll be there when I tell them?”

Marco nodded. “Of course, yoi. I promised to help, and I’ll do whatever I can until they’re out of danger and safe here at the castle.” He paused, glancing at the door. “You should finish getting changed, Luffy’s almost here.”

Ace nodded and took another breath to settle himself. He stood up again, shimmying out of his shorts and tossing them into the dirty laundry hamper, not giving any thought to his near nakedness in front of Marco. He quickly slipped on a fresh pair of shorts, and just in time as the door opened and Luffy pushed through, immediately beelining for Ace and climbing up to sit on his father’s shoulders.

“Thatchy said I can’t have anything until dinner,” the child huffed, crossing his arms indignantly.

Ace put on an expression of disbelief. “Did he? Well we’ll just have to remedy that, won’t we?” he asked, turning his head awkwardly to wink up at the boy on his shoulders.

Luffy immediately caught onto what Ace was suggesting, bringing a finger up to his lips. “We gotta be quiet,” he stated sagely.

Ace laughed, turning back to Marco. “We’ll be in the library until dinner, you heard and saw nothing,” he hinted, and Marco chuckled, waving them off. Ace grinned once more and took off with Luffy cheering on his shoulders. The moonstone gently bounced against his chest as he ran, glowing softly in the candlelight.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabo sighed restlessly, his bleary eyes opening once more to stare into the darkness of his cell. He was both physically and mentally exhausted, yet sleep eluded him. The mattress lying in the corner of his cell was dirty and lumpy, only marginally more comfortable than the floor. The cool stone only served to suck heat from his body during the night, leaving him curled up and shivering on his side before long.

He was tired, cold, aching, hungry, and lonely, but what Sabo missed the most was feeling clean. Dirt and dried blood caked his hair, and his clothes weren’t faring much better. He did what he could to comb out his hair with his fingers, but it had been a lost cause from the start. No point pretending he wasn’t some filthy prisoner in the eyes of these vampires.

The temperature was cool, not worryingly so, but enough for him to always be uncomfortable. His jacket had been confiscated long ago, leaving Sabo with very little to stay warm under. Autumn was luckily still clinging to the earth, postponing the onset of winter snow and ice.

His body shivered at the thought of enduring all winter in this small cell, but ultimately there was nothing he would be able to do to waylay it. Sabo’s more pressing matters at the moment were the injuries he’d accumulated over the past… however long he’d been here. A week? It’d probably been longer than that, but the point was his wounds weren’t healing. Not that he’d been here long enough for them to, but this cell was dirty. He ran the risk of infection by not covering them up at least, and there was only so much clothing he could rip up to use for makeshift bandages. He’d never been proficient at medicine, and admittedly, he’d never paid attention when Koala tried teaching him the basics, something he was sorely regretting now.

Despite all of his discomforts, Sabo felt strangely distanced from everything that’d happened to him up to now. He couldn’t bring himself to get too worried about his future; whether he would be rescued or die first from the torture, his hunger, or infected open wounds. The lack of true concern was troubling, but Sabo decided to just let it be. He wasn’t going to make an effort to stress himself out when he was already this drained, there would just be no point.

He eventually became aware of the soft sound of approaching footsteps, and Sabo blinked out of the reverie he’d fallen into. Carefully scooting into a sitting position, Sabo leaned back against the wall, mentally preparing himself for another round of ‘questioning’, as his captors so kindly put it.

He hadn’t told those damn vampires a single thing they wanted to know, instead discussing other inane things like books he’s read in the past or what the weather was like this time of the year where he grew up. They were becoming frustrated with his refusal to divulge the information they desired, and it felt good knowing that he’d inconvenienced them when there was little else he could do to fight back. Of course that meant harsher punishments, but Sabo was determined to do whatever he could to not show them any weakness.

The torture methods had certainly become more… original as time passed and Sabo refused to speak, but he could tell that the day they would give up on trying to glean any information out of him was nearing. He roughly estimated that he only had about another week before they decided he was useless and killed him, but it was hard to tell. He’d known from the minute he was captured alive that his days were numbered, maybe a month or two, and now that it was shrinking to a matter of days, he didn’t know what to feel.

He wasn’t afraid of death. He felt more sad than scared, and angry that he’d gotten himself into this situation. It felt like there was an invisible weight pressing down on his shoulders, filling him with an unnameable emotion he couldn’t quite place. He felt it in everything he did, said, or even thought. _The grievances of a dying man._

“Boo!”

Sabo jumped, suddenly remembering the footsteps he’d heard earlier. Expecting a prison guard, he was pleasantly surprised to see Luffy standing in front of the cell.

“Shishishi did I scare ya mister Yeti?” the boy asked cheerfully, oblivious to Sabo’s still-racing heart from the jumpscare.

“Don’t worry, it’s just me,” Luffy reassured the blond, setting down a small package so he could pry open the bars. It was still incredible to Sabo, seeing Luffy of all people bending solid metal like it was nothing.“I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you before, Acey got sick again and I had to make sure he was okay.”

Sabo found his initial irritation gave way to the usual troubled yet happy calm that came with each of the child’s visits. “Is he okay now?”

Luffy frowned. “He had a bad bear. It had rabies, so he was throwing the blood up everywhere. But he’s okay now, he got this cool necklace to keep him safe from sick bears from now on, he told me so,” Luffy nodded resolutely as if that was that and plopped down into Sabo’s lap.

“Well that’s good,” Sabo replied easily. His arms immediately wrapped around the boy’s small body and he ran a hand through the short black hair. “What’s in the package?” He nodded towards where the wrapped container lie abandoned just outside the cell.

“Oh right!” Luffy perked at the remainder, lazily reaching out towards it and making no real effort to retrieve it. “It’s too far away mister Yeti,” he pouted, slumping back into Sabo’s chest.

“I like you, you’re comfy,” Luffy yawned, wriggling to get comfortable. “Is it okay if I stay here?” he asked, tilting his head back to look at Sabo with wide eyes. “Acey says I should ask before climbing on people.”

Sabo laughed, “Isn’t that something you should ask _before_ climbing on people then?” He tugged on the boy’s ear scoldingly, and Luffy’s hands immediately flew up to protect himself. The glare he shot Sabo was one of utter betrayal, making the blond laugh.

It felt nice to smile, even if Sabo wished they would have been able to reunite under better circumstances. Lu hadn’t changed at all, and while Sabo was glad that he hadn’t missed out on seeing Luffy grow up, it was a double edged sword. Luffy was the same, but that meant that he’d missed out on the rest of his life, forced to remain a five year old forever instead. Sure, there were odd moment when Luffy said something out of place, but those hardly counted for memories.

Sabo shook his head, discarding those thoughts for later. Luffy was _here_ , and so Sabo brought the smile back to his face. “It would be an honor and a privilege to have somebody as gracious as yourself resting in my lap,” he assured the boy in a ridiculous but very formal way.

Luffy’s nose scrunched up unhappily. “You don’t have to be so formy mister Yeti, that’s a grown-up thing,” he explained, patting Sabo’s cheek. “We’re friends right? You can skip the grown-up talk.” Luffy beamed at Sabo, and Sabo matched it with a small smile of his own.

“I like your laugh too,” the boy mused, looking thoughtful. “It’s nice, but you sound sad… are you sad, mister Yeti?”

Sabo blinked at the unexpected question, caught off guard. Luffy was looking up at him with childlike eyes filled with concern, wanting to know, but Sabo didn’t know what to say. His mind scrambled to formulate a believable lie, but nothing he could think up seemed good enough. Of course Luffy chose now to have one of his uncharacteristically wise moments, and about the one thing Sabo didn’t want to talk or think about no less.

“I want to go home.”

He finally settled on that, as it wasn’t technically untrue, even if it was only a small part of the whole picture. “There are some things they want me to do before I can leave, but yeah. I’m a little homesick,” he admitted and after a moment’s hesitation, placed a light kiss on the top of Luffy’s head. “I didn’t think you’d even notice. You’re all grown up now, aren’t you?”

Luffy grinned at that and nodded eagerly. “Yeah! I’ve grown an entire inch since… uh... a while ago. Acey told me, but I don’t remember. The point is I’m getting taller!” he boasted, straightening up to his full height before slumping back down after a minute.

Luffy looked down at the arms Sabo had loosely wrapped around him, and traced his fingers along the dirty creases in Sabo’s hands. “Why aren’t you home? Do you live at the bottom of the mountain with the little houses? I heard Acey and Pineapple were talking about them earlier, did something happen?”

“Yeah, I lived there with my friends,” Sabo admitted, not thinking too much on the statement.

“You don’t any more?”

Sabo placed a hand on Luffy’s head, weaving his fingers through the soft black strands in a way that was relaxing for both of them. “No, they left the village a while ago to.. travel. So really, it doesn’t matter whether I’m alone here or alone there,” he murmured, the words truer than he’d originally meant for them to be.

“They should have invited you to come with them, stingies.” Luffy tightened his grip on Sabo’s hand, frowning. ”But you still don’t like it here mister Yeti. Your eyes aren’t happy, they’re all sad and lonely. I could go get Acey to help you if you want to go home!”

At that thought, Luffy scrambled out of Sabo’s lap to go retrieve the dropped package, returning to his previous spot in a matter of seconds. “But before we go get Acey, let’s share these cookies!”

Sabo’s stomach dropped, his mind immediately going to what happened the last time he’d eaten food in this cell. Oblivious to Sabo’s discomfort, Luffy happily tugged at the knot, managing to tie up the strings further rather than loosen them. After a few more attempts, Luffy gave up and pouted up at the older man. “Mister Yeti, are you a good knot slayer?”

Sabo chuckled and took the package from the child’s hands. It took him a moment to unravel the knot thanks to his trembling fingers, but once it came loose, he pulled the string off, returning the opened package back to Luffy. “What kind are they?”

“Chocolate chip! And Thatchy makes the best cookies in the entire world!” Luffy proclaimed proudly before ripping off the lid and tossing it aside. He carefully counted the cookies aloud before taking four of them and pressing them into Sabo’s hands “You can have these, and I’ll take the rest!”

Sabo’s stomach rolled at the sight of the cookies, and he set them down in his lap hesitantly. He felt nauseated at the mere memory of what had happened with the pineapples, and Sabo didn’t think he would be able to eat these cookies even if he wanted to - which he did.

“You said Thatch made these?” he asked, and Luffy hummed, nodding. The boy was happily cramming cookies into his mouth, still unaware of Sabo’s internal turmoil. “Does he make you a lot of food?”

“Yeah! That-thy ith tha betht thef ever!” The boy grinned, launching off into a long-winded rant, talking around the food stuffed in his mouth. Honestly, Sabo couldn’t catch half of what Luffy was actually saying, but he got the general gist. It had something to do with food and explosions, if Sabo was interpreting Luffy’s enthusiastic sound effects correctly.

It was nice to see that these vampires loved to dote on the kid, that Luffy didn’t didn’t have to go without anything here. They’d accepted him with open arms, and that’s all Sabo could really ask for. What truly pained him was knowing that the bond they’d once shared together was now gone.

It was a lonely realization, and Sabo’s shoulders sagged from the weight of it. He felt an overwhelming desire to just tell Luffy the truth already and escape, but even if he did spill, there was no guarantee that Luffy would suddenly remember Sabo. It was rare for somebody so young to survive turning, naturally there would be repercussions for taking such a huge risk.

To tell Luffy the truth now would only confuse him, or potentially make him upset that he couldn’t remember, which would be far worse. Instead, Sabo settled for pulling Luffy closer in a tight hug. He gave no attention the the fact that no heartbeat echoed in his Luffy’s chest, sighing softly when the hug was happily reciprocated.

“Luffy!”

Sabo’s eyes shot open as a door slammed, shattering the small moment of silence. Before Sabo even had a chance to react, there was a man standing in front of his cell, further prying apart the metal bars as if they were made of mere paper and not solid iron.

“Release Luffy this moment before I relieve you of your arms instead,” he snarled, unadulterated _fury_ etched into every edge of his body. Faster than he would’ve thought possible, Sabo had Luffy out of his arms, scrambling to the other back corner of his cell - as far away as he could get from the man. His every instinct was screaming to run, but there was nowhere for Sabo to go.

Oh _fuck._

This man was dangerous, Sabo could clearly see the predatory hatred in his eyes as he scooped a very confused Luffy up into his arms, glaring at Sabo with an intensity that could peel paint.

Sabo’s heart was racing wildly in his chest, his eyes tracking the man’s every movement, waiting for an attack. Even as none immediately came, Sabo felt pinned down by the man’s steely gaze, green eyes burning intensely into his own in a way that made Sabo unwilling to even blink.

“What were you thinking, letting him down here? I didn’t have the authorization, but you let _Luffy_ in?” he demanded, addressing the guards that had followed him without taking his eyes from Sabo.

“We didn’t know he was down here, my prince,” one of them hastily explained. “He must have snuck in somehow.”

The man growled again at that, and the guard flinched back, obviously intimidated. The man’s shoulders were rising and falling with breath, a testament to just how angry he was, also meaning that he had been turned into a vampire, not born. That could be either good or bad, depending on how and when he’d been turned. “See to it that you find the entry point he used. He doesn’t understand what happens down here and I want it to stay that way.”

“Yes sir!” The guard saluted and a few of them split away from the group, leaving back down the long corridor.

“Acey…” Luffy mumbled unhappily, struggling to look up at the man with how tightly he was being held. Sabo’s eyes widened marginally as he finally connected the face with a name. Luffy’s new father. The incredible rage rolling off of the vampire in waves suddenly made more sense, but this new understanding did nothing to help Sabo’s case.

“Shh, it’s okay Lu, he isn’t going to hurt you,” Acey replied, his eyes still trained on Sabo. Luffy looked between the two confusedly, but said nothing more.

Acey took a step forward, and Sabo’s attention snapped from Luffy back to the approaching threat. “If you’ve hurt Luffy in any way, _human_ … I’m sure there’s no need for me to remind you just what we are capable of.”

Sabo’s hackles raised at the accusation, and he glowered at the man. It had no effect of course, but Sabo was _done_ being treated like trash. He wasn’t going to sit here and be looked down on by this man as if he was less than dirt to him. Anger began to rise within Sabo, breaking through the thick wall of dread that had been slowly building. He’d spent the past week or so being insulted, humiliated, tortured, starved, and so much more that Sabo could spend the rest of what was looking to be a very short life naming them all and ultimately run out of time.

How _dare_ they steal away Luffy’s very future and then act like they’re the superior ones? The rage continued to build, and Sabo pushed himself up to a standing position. Again he felt that strange sense of disconnection from what was happening, but Sabo was too far gone to think on it any more.

“If _I_ hurt him?” he asked, disbelief evident in his voice. “As if I would ever hurt Luffy. Do you even realize what you have? What you’ve _done?_ ” Sabo could see surprise in the man’s face at the outburst. He must have been expecting Sabo to remain meek and quiet, but Sabo was done. He pushed himself off the wall, hands clenched into fists.

“You’ve destroyed his life, everything he could have been, and for what? Your own personal amusement? _You_ are the reason he’ll never remember his family or have any semblance of a normal childhood and yet you threaten _me_ not to hurt him? You’re just a monster who plays at being a father,” he spat bitterly.

The vampire went completely still at the words, brows raising as his fake breathing halted. “What have _I_ done?” he repeated, his voice so deadly quiet it raised the hairs on Sabo’s arms. Acey pressed a hand over Luffy’s ear, preventing the child from hearing his next words.

“You have balls, for a human. Accusing us of being monsters when it is _your_ kind that started this war. You humans can’t deal with the fact that you aren’t at the top of the food chain, so you lashed out. Thousands of us ‘monsters’ have fallen to you on little more than false claims of evil,” he sneered.

“But we aren’t here to discuss our ancient history with your savage race. Luffy is entirely innocent, and yet he would still be looked down upon with distaste by your kind for the crime of being a vampire. Man, woman, nor child has ever escaped the injustice of your kind, you kill without a care or thought because you believe that you are justified in doing so based solely on the fact of what we are. I do not play a part of being a father, I _am_ one. I and everybody else in this castle protect him from the likes of your violent kind. Ultimately, I do not need to explain myself to you, _human_. Though I will say that I admire that spirit of yours, if you had picked your battles more wisely, you may have lived longer under the sun.”

With that, Acey turned and stepped out of the cell disdainfully. “See to it that it learns its place and won’t speak of matters it does not understand,” he ordered the remaining guards, and Sabo bristled at being called an ‘it’. Acey began to walk off, and Sabo stepped forward, ignoring the growing part of his mind telling him to just shut up already before he got himself killed. There would be no point in going quiet now, he’d already been caught red-handed with a prince’s son after all. His next words would undoubtedly seal his fate, but Sabo wasn’t going down without a fight, the anger and frustration overruling his more rational side. He stepped over the forgotten cookies that lie discarded on the floor and gripped the bars of his cage tightly in his hands at he glowered at the vampire’s back.

“You say that we’ve killed thousands of you, but you have killed hundreds of thousands of _us_ , even more, probably. We are protecting our families just as you claim to be protecting yours. We are not the only ones responsible for this bloody war, leech. How many men, women, and children have your kind killed simply because they are human, all while putting on airs of superiority where none exists? You speak of justice, yet you hold a five year old vampire in your arms. He was not born a vampire, of that much I am sure.”

Acey paused at that, and Sabo continued. “But, you’re right. We’re not here to talk about history or politics. I know that I have lived my life with no regrets, can you say the same, _your highness?_ ” He spat the title bitterly, mockingly.

“Let me make you a promise in return, prince. If you ever hurt Luffy again, if you ever cause him to lose his smile, then it is not me who will be suffering the most for it. I assure you that there are worse things on this Earth than mere pain or dying.”

“You say you live without regrets, human? Well then I suppose you won’t regret the words you just spoke, because they have just signed your death warrant.” Acey’s voice was ice cold, the muscles beneath his skin rigid with barely contained anger.

Having said his part, the prince stalked away, taking Luffy with him without a single backwards glance. The child peered over Acey’s shoulder at Sabo, his eyes a mixture of confusion and concern. There were tears in his eyes and Sabo forced himself to swallow his anger. He gave the child a salute with a smile, swallowing back the words he wanted to hurl at the prince’s retreating form. He wanted Luffy to remember him smiling, even if he would never truly know who Sabo was. It wasn’t until Luffy was out of sight that Sabo let the smile fall, sighing.

_Let’s just get this over with._


	6. Chapter 6

“Acey? Don’t be mad Acey, mister Yeti is a good guy,” Luffy tried to explain as he was dropped off into Izo’s arms by a choleric Ace. The dark haired woman arched a brow as Ace seemingly ignored his son’s words, but wisely chose not to comment on it. If Ace was irritated enough to feel the need to separate himself from Luffy, then it would be best to let the vampire cool down before confronting him.

“Why don’t we go visit Thatchy, hm? I heard he was making those little cinnamon twists that you love so much,” she whispered to the child, carrying Luffy away at Ace’s silent request. Luffy didn’t seem appeased even at the mention of food, peering over her shoulder at Ace with wide eyes.

“But Acey’s mad…”

“It’ll be fine Lu, no need to worry.” She smiled at the child, and Ace waited until the pair had disappeared around the corner before promptly moving onto much more pressing matters. He made his way through the castle until he reached the the throne room, everybody along the way who crossed his path immediately moved out of Ace’s way. A dangerous aura radiated from his body, warning everybody to get out of his way or suffer the consequences.

He immediately pushed through the doors once he arrived at the throne room where Whitebeard resided, not bothering to knock. “Father,” he greeted, his voice no more than a low rumble. The low bow he ducked into as he approached his father figure was jerky and tense, a true testament to his anger.

The grand room was mostly empty, and all of the servants quickly vacated the area once Ace walked in, leaving him alone with Whitebeard and Marco. “Excuse my interruption Oyaji, but I have a request to ask of you,” Ace asked in a clipped voice, cutting straight to the chase. He was never one to beat around the bush anyways. He wanted - no, _needed_ \- to see that human killed for his arrogance.

“What is it, my son?”

Ace rose from his bow at the acknowledgement, green eyes only briefly flicking over to where Marco stood before lifting to meet those of his father. “I just found Luffy down in the solitary cells _._  I don’t know how he got down there, but he was _inside_ one of the cells with one of _them_.” The last word was spat out with venomous distaste, and Whitebeard raised a brow. “ _It_ had its arms around Lu, no doubt planning to use Lu to help it escape. That one is dangerous Oyaji, we need to kill it before it plots something,” he insisted.

“The dungeons?” Marco repeated dubiously, glancing from Whitebeard to Ace. “How long was he down there?”

Ace ran a hand through his hair irately, stopping himself short of pulling on the roots. He knew he should have been with Lu, and the guilt would be eating at him right now if the anger wasn’t currently overruling everything else. Had he been so preoccupied with his own problems that he’d ignored Luffy these past few days? Ace hadn’t even realized Luffy was disappearing on a regular basis! What kind of father had Ace been lately? Not a very good one, that was for sure.

“I don’t know,” he replied tersely, wanting to move away from that particular topic but he knew that it needed to be addressed. “And I don’t think it was the first time he’s been down there either. His scent was there, both fresh and lingering, though it was mostly masked by the human’s stench. I don’t know when it started or how he got in there, but he was in this human’s cell, Oyaji! That monster had its _arms_ around him, doing God knows what. It wanted to use Lu, why else would it try to befriend him? We can’t allow it to live, Lu could be in danger if we do,” he concluded, his hands restless at his sides.

Whitebeard said nothing immediately, taking in the information Ace had given.”You said that Luffy had been in there before? Unless he physically harmed Luffy, he’s still too valuable to kill,” he stated bluntly.

Ace scowled and opened his mouth to protest, but Whitebeard continued. “He will be punished, of course, and Luffy will be kept out of the cell block from now on, but there’s still valuable information that we need from those prisoners. Information you would understand the importance of if you attended the meetings,” he added.

“I already know everything I need to know,” Ace replied curtly, though he reeled himself in somewhat. Oyaji wasn’t the one Ace was angry with, it wouldn’t do to show his father disrespect for something that wasn’t his fault.

“We captured plenty of prisoners from that group, what this bastard knows the others will too. Letting him live-” Ace paused as a familiar sense of dread began to trickle over his anger. He swallowed it down though, continuing. “Allowing it to live only shows that we are naive and careless. It found a way to lure Luffy there at least twice, we could have lost Luffy any one of those times, Oyaji! It threatened me, said that we were nothing more than monsters. Is information really worth more than Luffy’s safety?” he challenged, though swallowed heavily as the fear continued to build within him.

“Do you have evidence that they’re capable of following through with the threat? Did you see them with a weapon?” Whitebeard questioned back. “Their threat was empty, son. It was designed to get you angry because that is the only thing they can do in their position. You cannot take their words seriously. Luffy is safe now, and I promise you I will do everything in my power to ensure that it won’t happen again. That is all I can do,” he stated, his tone final and offering no room for further argument.

Ace shook in anger, not believing Oyaji was serious, but knowing that he should have expected something like this all the same. It wasn’t as if he’d never heard similar accusations before, but the simple fact was that vampires _were_ superior. Vampires were stronger, faster, and far more durable than the humans they resembled. That’s what superiority _was_.

That fact was something Whitebeard had made clear he didn’t entirely agree with. He and many others living within the castle walls saw vampires and humans as equals, friends. Ace would be and was the first to disagree with his father’s ideals though. He loathed humans and that was no secret within the walls of this castle, even if the reason was subject to rumors from all but a select few in the family.

“The human is already being punished as we speak. It spoke treacherous words in the presence of _two_ princes, threatening the life of one even if it _was_ merely empty words. It will never be useful,” Ace said bitterly, continuing to ignore the way the hair at the nape of his neck stood on end. A phantom fear clutched at his heart, making his throat run dry, but he had no idea why. It was putting him on edge, and Ace fought to keep his hands still at his sides.

“You can’t trust a single thing humans say anyways, they’re all liars by nature. The only way to properly deal with their kind is by ending them.” A faint warmth began to spread across his left shoulder and down his side. He was so distracted by the odd feeling that Ace almost missed Whitebeard’s next words.

“I am not debating this with you any more, son. You are speaking of your own brothers and sisters when you say such things. If you do not like this human, stay away from the prison block.”

Ace’s shoulders heaved a sigh and he lowered his head. He was unhappy- _furious_ with how supposedly valuable this human was. Ace wanted to see him dead for his accusations, for ever considering Luffy as a tool for escape, but Whitebeard would hear no more on the matter.

“I- why is it so warm in here?” he asked, trying to fan his face with his hands but to no avail. A bead of sweat rolled down his neck as the heat bearing down on him continued to intensify. Dread continued to grow within him at the painful familiarity of the situation. The moonstone had done its job of preventing further attacks though, that couldn’t be the reason.

Marco was by his side in a heartbeat as he realized that something was wrong. His gaze was focused on the moonstone, and its appearance shocked Ace, momentarily distracting him from the overbearing heat.

No longer was the moonstone its mysterious, milky white. Now it was a clear, fire red color, a complete contrast from when Ace had first gotten it. It appeared to be shattering from the inside out, the white disappearing bit by bit with each new crack that formed.

“It’s breaking,” Marco said, disbelief clear in his voice. “What did you do? It’s the only one we have Ace, the only reason we happened to have one in the first place was by chance.”

Ace’s anger finally gave way to the fear and dread that had built up during his grand entrance. The stone was _breaking_ , and the person Ace was linked to was being tortured once more. For the second time that night, he was helpless to protect the ones he loved - or would love.

“I didn’t do anything, it looked perfectly fine when I woke up!” Ace protested weakly as he was forced into a kneeling position with one hand planted on the floor for stability against the increasingly oppressive heat.

Marco cursed under his breath, watching as the moonstone continued to fracture. The cracks forming within the stone were audible now, and as it continued, the heat on Ace’s left side was exponentially becoming more intense.

 _Well that’s one mystery solved_ , Ace thought bitterly, not looking forward to this in the slightest. Marco was looking at Ace expectantly, and Ace gave him a resigned nod. He couldn’t keep this a secret any longer, and Ace was relieved when Marco went to explain for him.

As the heat continued intensifying, a sense of panic welled up inside of Ace. The sweat running down his back turned ice cold, and Ace shivered.

With an unimpressive _pop!_ , the moonstone finally shattered. A sound somewhere between a gasp and a scream lodged in Ace’s throat as the heat became a wall of pure fire, mercilessly tearing at his skin. The floor felt cool on his skin for only a moment, and Ace instinctively curled up in an attempt to escape the white hot agony burning his left side.

The dark haired vampire could vaguely hear his brother’s concerned words and some from his father as well, but he couldn’t focus on either of them. The searing pain took all precedence in his mind, even as welts and boils began to raise up on his angry red skin.

The heat clawed over to his neck, restricting his throat until he was left gasping desperately for breath. Breathing was a habit he’d never quite been able to break, and now it was biting him in the ass. The deep-rooted panic of suffocating loomed over Ace, but didn’t have a chance to grab a firm hold of him as the heat moved away from his neck. Instead, it spread across the rest of his torso and down his thighs, onto his legs though the pain was less intense there.

Just when Ace thought that it might be tapering off, the flames moved to target his face next. Sheer panic and fear gripped him as it seemed to center around his eye. Ace furiously rubbed his eyes without really feeling it, watching in horror as his eyesight began to dwindle.

The stench of burnt hair and charred flesh surrounded Ace, encompassing everything he knew and everything he was. The danger and shock was overwhelming, but Ace was helpless to do anything to prevent his left eye from growing blurry and muddy. His eyes frantically darted around the room without truly seeing anything, praying that this wasn’t the last thing he would ever see from his left eye.

_What the hell was happening to his soulmate?_

* * *

 

“Ace. _Ace._ ” Marco kneeled down beside his brother, trying to get through to him, but Ace was completely unresponsive, too lost within his own mind. He was clutching his side in clear agony, and Marco wondered how everything could have gone so wrong so quickly.

His mind raced at a furious pace, trying to figure out what was happening to his brother. Ace’s other half was being tortured again, that much was clear. The moonstone had completely shattered, now lying in shards scattered across the floor.

But why? What had changed in order to cause it to break now all of all times? The first attack had been cold, the second nausea, and the third fire, was there some type of correlation between the three?

Marco couldn’t help but feel that he was missing something obvious. It wouldn’t make sense for the type of attack to be what caused the moonstone to break, they were all independent events from each other, caused by the other’s torturers.

_“I didn’t do anything, it looked perfectly fine when I woke up!”_

When did the moonstone start cracking? If Ace woke up at his usual time and started searching for Luffy soon after, then it couldn’t have been more than an hour or two ago at the most. Did the moonstone crack because of the attack itself? Or did it have to do with the timing of the attack?

_“I’ve been feeling cold these past few days, since the day of the meeting actually.”_

Marco’s surroundings faded away as he dived into pure analytical mode. This all started about two weeks ago, the attacks and all of the other symptoms. That was the day they’d attacked the human camp as well, wasn’t it?

_“The human is already being punished as we speak.”_

Marco stood, shocked by where his own thoughts were leading him. He quickly exited the throne room without a word, pushing past the arriving medics without a second thought. The fact that the day Ace’s symptoms began and the day the prisoners were brought to the castle were the same could be a coincidence, but it seemed too suspicious to brush off.

He reached his room in less than a minute, carelessly pushing open the door and crossing the space to his desk. He pulled open a drawer, quickly sifting through the folders inside before pulling out the guard reports and laying it flat on the desk. Thankfully he’d had the frame of mind to organize everything earlier, so it was no problem locating to the prison records. He scanned over the individual prisoner reports starting from around two weeks ago.

_“I’m fine, just feeling a little cold. It’s nothing a good stew can’t fix.”_

Eleven days ago, the hunter camp was attacked, and the survivors were brought here, to the castle. There were several with varying levels of injuries from the fight, and the whole group was made to walk barefoot up the mountain. Marco frowned at that and discarded the few prisoners with more extreme injuries; Ace would have mentioned any other persistent pains from large wounds.

_“It f-feels like a barbed wire is being raked across my s-skin.”_

Then, a few days later, all of the prisoners were bathed, thirteen of them resisted and fought back. Marco narrowed his search down further to those, discarding the rest back on the desk haphazardly. Random instances were springing up in his mind like firecrackers as he continued to skim the reports, helping to narrow down his search more.

Ace had been taking more impromptu hunting trips into the surrounding forest lately - he was hungrier than usual, but not yet accustomed to it. The files relating to older prisoners were dropped.

He was feeling perpetually cold as well as some aching pains the first few days before Marco had found the moonstone. While the dungeons were not particularly warm, the cells with windows would be colder than those without, enough so that it would be unshakeable for a human. A large group of prisoners being kept further within the castle hit the desk.

_“I can’t- can’t keep it down.”_

There. Less than a week ago, one of the prisoners was found with food in his cell and forced the throw it back up. It was the same day Marco had given Ace the moonstone after the nausea attack. Marco could hardly believe it, but the evidence was right in front of him. He skimmed the prisoner’s profile, easily able to line up everything that had happened to his brother with punishments that had been dealt to this prisoner.

He was of a higher rank than the others they’d brought in from the camp, yet he’d spilled no information whatsoever so far. The rebellious, fight-till-my-last-breath kind of guy from what Marco could glean. The blond sighed heavily, pressing his fingers to his temples.

The food the prisoner had been caught with, there was no way he’d managed to hoard it from before his capture and unlikely that he’d managed to steal any from the guards. The report suggested the foods to be meat and pineapples based off of the smell. Where would he have gotten fresh food like that? Or to put it differently, who in the castle would have had the opportunity to give it to him?

_“I just found Luffy down in the solitary cells.”_

_“And I don’t think it was the first time he’s been down there either.”_

The puzzle pieces finally slotted into place, and the picture they formed was ironic to say the least. This prisoner, this hunter and _human_ , the one who’d been caught with Luffy and was being punished at this moment for insulting Ace, was Ace’s soulmate.

_“I- why is it so warm in here?”_

Marco’s face darkened, and he abandoned the folder in his hands, hastily making his way through the castle. He reached the dungeons in record time, and all of the guards on duty immediately snapped to attention.

“I want to see the prisoner Prince Ace is having punished, yoi.”

Maybe it was the way Marco’s eyes were flashing dangerously or how every word he spoke demanded nothing less than absolute obedience, but the guard didn’t dare to question him. Not that they would have been able to do so anyways; Marco outranked them in every way, a position the blond prince was immensely grateful for now. He had neither the time nor patience to explain himself any further.

They moved through the halls quickly, soon arriving at one of the numerous torture chambers.

“He is in here, my prince.” The guard bowed respectfully, quickly making his leave when the prince waved him away.

He opened the thick door, and the first thing Marco noticed was the smell. The overwhelmingly hot air now escaping from the room reeked of burnt flesh and fear. It took a moment for Marco to push aside the disgust, and he stepped within the confines of the sultry room.

“Stop,” he commanded, voice laced with the absolute authority he was granted as the overseer of the dungeons. “Step away from the prisoner.”

The two guards immediately turned, eyes widening as they landed on the irate blond. An empty cauldron nearly slipped from both of their hands as one hastily dropped into a kneel before Marco. The other took those few steps away as commanded, but Marco could care less as to how precisely his orders were followed.

“Lord Marco, please forgive us, we were not aware that you would be making your rounds tonight,” one of them spoke with eyes glued to the ground, not daring to anger Marco further by raising her head. "We realize that this session was not scheduled for tonight, however the punishment was requested by Prince Ace himself,” she explained hastily.

“Yes, I am aware of what happened, yoi.” Marco crossed the room to where the prisoner hung on a rack, barely sparing another glance at the two guards. The human was barely conscious, and the restraints chained to his wrists and ankles were the only thing preventing him from collapsing onto the floor. His eyes were half-lidded and clouded, his breathing rapid and shallow as he sunk further into shock. If it wasn’t for the faint fluttering of his heartbeat, Marco would have thought he’d arrived too late.

His injuries were gruesome; molten tar coated the entire left half of his body as well as his face, not the mention the other injuries he’d amassed over the past two weeks. The human showed no signs that he was aware of what was happening, one eye sealed shut by the sticky black tar.

It took quite a bit of willpower for Marco not to react outwardly, and he finally turned from the human to the guards still kneeling with the utmost respect “Clean the prisoner up and bring him to the infirmary. After that, you are dismissed, yoi,” he instructed, swooping out at the room without another glance back.


	7. Chapter 7

Fifteen minutes after the attack ended, Ace’s vision was still missing, and the world was nothing more than a blurry mess through his left eye. He’d been instructed to leave it alone and his vision would return to normal once it healed, but not irritating his eye was much easier said than done. The thing itched like hell, and it was all Ace could do to sit still and let the nurses look over his burns.

The burns were well on their way to healing, but they itched even worse than his eye, bringing a whole new meaning to the word pain. He growled halfheartedly as a nurse slapped away a hand from where it’d been idly scratching his hip, and Ace gripped onto the bedsheets to stop himself from scratching anything else. He found himself blinking heavily, trying to force his eye to heal faster or to somehow soothe its irritation. The salves and oils the nurses had lathered on his irritated skin was doing wonders to soothe the pain, but it was difficult to focus on what exactly they were doing when he was still trying to process just what had happened.

The pain had been building exponentially, enveloping everything he knew and everything he was, only to cut off suddenly. The pain had remained, but much duller and it felt more real somehow. No matter what he tried, Ace couldn’t shake off the feeling that something horrible had happened to his soulmate. It had been the worst attack he’d suffered yet it had ended so abruptly.

There was only one reason Ace could think of for why that was, and he prayed that he was wrong. Surely his soulmate wasn’t _dead_ , wouldn’t Ace have felt it somehow? How could they die when Ace still didn’t even know who they were? He was no stranger to the injustice in the world, but this just seemed too cruel, _too_ unfair. What was the point in being linked by fate if they would never even meet each other?

Marco walked into the room, breaking Ace from his brooding. The team of nurses swarming Ace reluctantly dispersed as the heir approached, leaving them some semblance of privacy.

“How are you feeling, yoi?”

Any gratefulness or relief Ace had been feeling prior to that question dissipated, and the black haired vampire groaned, rolling his eyes. “As I’ve already said at least a dozen times in the past minute, I am _fine_.” Call him stubborn, but Ace just didn’t see the point in having his wounds treated when they couldn’t get infected and they would heal relatively soon anyways

“I don’t see why I need to be in here Marc, the pain is gone and the only thing Kureha told me was to not piss off my eye again. I’ll be perfectly fine by tomorrow,” he huffed.

“I’m sorry about breaking the moonstone.” He fingered the now empty clasp still attached to his necklace, mentally willing it to provide information on his soulmate’s status. Not knowing what had happened was killing him, and the necklace was the only connection Ace had to them, even if it was entirely useless now.

Marco only smiled, sitting down next to Ace on the bed. “Don’t worry about the moonstone, yoi. You had us all worried.”

Ace grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about that. Where’d you disappear to anyways? You weren’t there when it ended.”

Uncertainty flickered across his brother’s face, so brief that Ace almost missed it. He was about to tell Ace something he knew the raven would not like. Marco was never one to beat around the bush or hesitate, and the fact that he was doing so now made Ace’s stomach twist unpleasantly, smile fading.

“What?”

“I left to go test a theory,” he began. “This all started two weeks ago, the same day we held a meeting over the survivors from that hunter camp at the base of the mountain. Remember?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?” Ace asked, bewildered by the sudden topic change.

“Just let me finish, yoi. As you know, I oversee the dungeons and receive records of everything that happens, which I keep in my room. There was a single prisoner from that hunter camp whose punishment aligned perfectly with all of these symptoms you’ve been having.”

Ace’s eyes widened, realizing just what Marco was implying. “You mean-”

“Let me finish,” Marco interrupted, and Ace fell silent at the command. “Your first attack was the prisoners being given a bath. The second was your soulmate being caught with food in his cell, and he was made to throw it back up, yoi. The third, a pot of molten tar was poured onto him.”

Ace was stunned, but something in Marco’s tone said that there was even more. “The only place the food could have come from was the kitchens here in the castle, meaning it was snuck down to him.” There it was again, that hesitation.

Ace was able to follow the blond’s logic easily enough, and he did not like where it was going in the slightest. He crossed his arms, giving Marco a hard look. “What are you trying to say?”

Marco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “There’s no good way to say it; your soulmate is the human you caught Luffy with down in the dungeons.”

Ace arched an eyebrow, waiting for Marco to continue, or notice his mistake. His brother said nothing more, however, and Ace was forced to wonder what kind of joke he was trying to make. “I know you’re mad about the amulet but don’t you think that’s taking it a little far?”

“I’m being serious, yoi.”

“No you’re not!” Ace shouted, his confusion and disbelief growing with each passing second. How could Marco, his older brother and practically the second father figure in his life sit before him and tell him this _lie_? Marco was the reliable and dependable one, everybody looked to him for advice at one point or another, Oyaji included. With that logic in mind, Ace knew Marco wasn’t lying to him, but he had to be, right?

Ace searched his brother’s face for any sign that Marco was trying to get a rouse out of Ace. He didn’t want to believe it, but there had to be some type of hidden agenda to the words Marco had just said.

“That’s complete and utter bullshit and you know it!” Ace raged when he failed to find a single crack in his brother’s mask. “I was on board with the whole soul link thing, but this is taking things too far Marco! Whatever joke you’re trying to make, it’s not funny!”

He struggled to sit up, wincing with every jerky move his unresponsive body made. “I will not sit here and listen to your wild theories or jokes or whatever.” Angry tears began rising in the back of his eyes, and Ace forced them back with a snarl.

“I refuse to be a part of this, I _won’t_ ,” he told his brother resolutely, making to stand up only to immediately sit back down with a hiss. While his leg wasn’t as injured at the rest of his body, it still was unable to support his body weight.

Marco finally reacted to that, standing up and forcibly pressing Ace’s shoulders back down onto the mattress in one swift movement.

“If I am lying,” Marco said, his voice dangerously calm and blue eyes sharp. “Then explain how I know this, yoi. I went down to the prison block myself to stop the torture. All down the left side of his body was molten tar, still hot from the fire. It ranged from his shoulder here all the way down to his thighs.” Marco lightly traced a line down Ace’s bandaged front and his legs as he spoke. It outlined where Ace’s own burns were hidden beneath the bandages near perfectly, and the accuracy unnerved the freckled vampire.

“It was also on his neck here, and covered this much of his face, as well as reaching into his hair.” He once again perfectly traced the outline on Ace’s body.

“His skin was _scorched_ , Ace. They poured tar directly onto his face, right in his left eye. He went under before I could properly see the damage but I wouldn’t be surprised if he completely lost vision in that eye, yoi.” Ace’s eyes widened, but Marco plowed on, effortlessly picking apart any and every protest Ace could possibly have.

“He was also unnaturally skinny, as if he’d been starving for the past week and a half or so. His clothes were in rags, burned and shredded beyond repair, yoi. I can’t imagine they would have offered him much warmth, especially inside a stone cell with an open window at the onset of winter.” Marco eyes narrowed imperceptibly and he leaned forward, voice staying perfectly soft and level.

“I have done everything I possibly could to help you, Ace. I’ve lied to my family for you, I have spent every single day in the library since your first attack, trying to find something - _anything_ \- that could explain this. Do you think I’m pleased? That I find amusement in your suffering? That I saw the exact human you openly despised and decided that he would be your soulmate? Do you honestly believe that I would ever spout completely illogical bullshit like this out of _spite_? Because if you do, then I’m sorry to say that there’s nothing else I have to tell you,” he finished cooly, leaving Ace speechless.

His anger was dimmed somewhat by encroaching guilt for acting ungrateful, but not nearly enough to make him roll over and just accept this _human_ as his soulmate. It would never happen, not if he had anything to do with it, higher powers be damned.

“It’s still bullshit,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “This may not be your doing and fuck, I’m not blaming you, but it’s pretty hard not to shoot the messenger when he’s the only one you have within arm’s reach. He just _can’t_ be, Marco. I don’t care if he was butt naked in those cells or in the woods left to the wolves and bears, I would give that order again if I could! He _used Luffy_ , how can I be connected to something like that?” Ace shook his head, the angry tears that were steadily building up behind his eyes threatening to spill over.

“I won’t accept this, it isn’t true,” he reaffirmed, talking to himself more that to his brother now.

“Ace,” Marco started unhesitantly, and Ace’s eyes lifted to meet the blond’s with determination.

“Tell me where you found the lore, I can look into it. You yourself said that they aren’t the most reliable sources, there could be a way to break whatever this is. Maybe there’s something that you missed, or you weren’t looking for a way out, just trying to find out what it _was_.” Ace clasped onto Marco’s sleeve, mind racing as he tried to find any way to get out of this.

“There just _has_ to be a way Marco, I can’t be stuck with him!” Ace pleaded, his hand loosening on Marco’s sleeve and falling back into his lap. The anger turned despair gave way to a horrible feeling of numbness, and Ace stared down into his lap. There was a part of him that was relieved to find out that his soulmate was still alive, but it was vastly outweighed by anger. How could the fates be so cruel?

Marco sighed, placing a hand on top of Ace’s head comfortingly. He slowly carded his fingers through the dark wavy locks, and Ace’s shoulders tensed at the contact. “You heard Oyaji, Ace. We can’t just kill him in cold blood. Nobody says that you have to like him, or even acknowledge him, yoi. You don’t _have_ to think of him as a soulmate if you don’t want to, that’s just the term that the stories use. But we can’t simply return him to the dungeons either, not after this. Doing so would only ensure your own suffering, and the information we need from him is not and never will be more important than your safety, yoi. If you want to see for yourself once you’re well enough to walk, all the books I’ve used are still sitting at my usual table in the library.”

Ace’s shoulders sagged and he gave a reluctant nod. “Fine. I’ll stay here until I can walk again,” he muttered rather defeatedly. He fully intended to make good on Marco’s offer and visit the library, but only once he was sure that Luffy wasn’t in need of any attention and fast asleep. Only then would Ace satisfy his need to know if there was any way to reverse this curse.

* * *

 

Within an hour, every single person in the castle had heard the news. The word spread like wildfire, with everybody having heard a different story from somebody else who had received the information second hand.

_“I heard he had a knife! He went berserk and tried to murder the king, so Prince Ace had to stop him and got hurt protecting him!”_

_“No, he broke out of his cell and kidnapped Prince Luffy, is what I heard. He held him at gunpoint and he would’ve killed him if Prince Ace hadn’t shown up just in time! Still got shot, though.”_

_“What? Where could he have possibly gotten a gun from? I heard from the prison guards that he spat in Prince Ace’s face. He’s damn lucky to have survived the Prince’s wrath, that’s for sure.”_

_“He could have stolen it from a guard! And that doesn’t explain why Prince Ace was in the infirmary.”_

_“Well it’s a hell of a lot more reasonable than an already wounded human beating up a bunch of heavily armed vampires!”_

_“All of you, get back to work!”_

_“Yes sir!”_

Regardless of what had actually happened, the medical staff were less than thrilled to be tending to the human’s injuries, but more than a little bit curious to know the truth. They’d done their best to treat the various wounds that littered his fragile body, not inclined in the slightest to face their king’s wrath for disobeying a direct order.

The human was deep asleep and would likely remain asleep for another day or so. The only thing left to do now was wait, and see if they couldn’t pry any new information out of the nurses who had been tending to Prince Ace in another wing.


	8. Chapter 8

Sabo awoke slowly, the sound of talking drawing him unwillingly from the depths of sleep. As his senses began to return, the first thing Sabo was truly aware of was the pain. His entire body ached dully, forcing a groan past his lips as it became the only thing he could focus on.

The second thing to return to him were his memories. The castle, Luffy, Acey, yelling, being dragged to the torture chamber, the cauldron full of hotfirepain _burning_ pouring onto his skin and-

Sabo’s eyes shot open, his body painfully jerking into an upright position. A wall of vertigo that slammed into him at the sudden movement, stopping him cold. He cradled his head in his hands with eyes screwed shut, waiting for the painful headrush to subside.

“Hey, easy there fella, one eye at a… well, one eye at a time, though you can only use one,” a voice spoke softly, and Sabo stiffened. His eyes opened once more only to be met met with a sheepish grin.

Sabo stared at the other man blankly. He was tall with reddish brown hair swept up into a ridiculous-looking pompadour, and it took a moment for his words to process through Sabo’s still sluggish mind. _One eye?_

A hand came up to his face, fingertips met with the smooth bandages that covered his left eye. It felt… off somehow, and it took Sabo another moment to realize why.

His face didn’t hurt the way his body did. As Sabo carefully probed the covered skin, he realized he couldn’t actually feel the pressure of his fingers pressing down on the covered half of his face. It was like they weren’t there at all, and Sabo’s uncovered eye widened as that fact sunk in.

He felt lethargic and heavy as his gaze swept down to his heavily bandaged torso and across the small room he currently found himself in. Everything was taking two times longer to process than usual, had they drugged him? It would certainly explain why he only felt a dull ache when he should be in anguish.

“You must feel like a roasted turkey, huh? Listen, I know we’re not the most trustworthy people to you right now, but you’re safe. Nobody’s going to hurt you here, you uh, want to blink or something to show me you understand?” the man asked, but Sabo tuned him out for now.

His body hurt. That was a good thing, right? Pain meant that his nerve endings hadn’t sustained too much damage from the torture. A hand trailed down his side, picking up on all of the new blank spots on his skin where the pressure from his fingers vanished completely.

“They did quite a number on you, some of your nerve endings were severed or completely burned off, there’s nothing the doctors could do to save them. Your eye suffered substantial damage too, I’m sorry to say. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever be able to see through it again,” the man said quietly, watching Sabo as he took in the damage he’d sustained.

Sabo brought a hand up to his face again, but he still felt nothing on quite a large portion of his face. He blinked heavily several times, trying to will some sensation back with no success. Even when the man told him that he would likely never see from his left eye again, Sabo felt nothing. His mind was as numb as his face, everything shrouded in a haze of growing confusion.

“Look, I need some sign that you can understand me,” the man sighed, running an agitated hand over his hair. “I know they’ve got you drugged up seven ways till Sunday, but the worst is over and done with, really.”

Sabo still said nothing to that, mentally cataloguing all of the areas on his side and shoulder that were now unfeeling. He supposed that he should be grateful that it wasn’t as bad as it _could_ be, but honestly, Sabo’s mind was entirely blank. He had no idea what to make of this, and he was still getting over the surprise of waking up again at all.

“C’mon blondie, give me a sign here, anything would help. Am I making sense?” he asked slowly, and Sabo finally turned his attention to his visitor.

He gripped the bedsheets tightly, giving air to the one question that was eating at him. “Why-” he coughed abruptly, his voice rough and throat feeling like it was filled with smoke. “Why am I here?”

The man only hummed thoughtfully at the question, leaning back in his chair. “That _is_ the big question, isn’t it? I mean, look at me. I’ve seen more years than I care to count and still I haven’t found my purpose in this big world we call life. Yeah I like to cook, and I decided just this morning that I was going to try my hand at knitting, but that didn’t quite work out. I suppose I live for my family though, they’re everything to me. Ah, and cheese,” he added, completely oblivious to Sabo’s bewilderment.

“I will have you know that I own the widest and most diverse collection of cheeses this land has ever seen, and I’m not just saying that to toot my own horn,” he said, looking rather pleased with his boasting. “But then again, I suppose you humans have a considerably less amount of time to figure that out, so I can see why you’re eager to ask.” He idly poured a glass of water from a pitcher next to the bed and offered the glass to Sabo.

“Maybe you just found that answer here. Maybe this is where your question will be answered, who knows? Drink slowly, agitating your throat further won’t help you any.”

Sabo stared at the man, equal parts confused and annoyed. That wasn’t what he'd asked at all, but he accepted the glass of water anyways. He sipped it slowly, refusing to take his eyes off of his visitor out of well-placed wariness. The water helped to soothe his itchy throat despite how much t hurt to swallow, and he soon emptied the glass.

Sabo studied the vampire, wondering whether he was a doctor or nurse or something. He certainly didn’t _act_ like one, and Sabo found himself dismissing the idea that he was any kind of medic. He seemed too carefree and happy despite the fact that he was sitting right next to a human, and Sabo found his easygoing attitude to be both reassuring and unsettling at the same time. The only vampires he’d come into contact within this castle had absolutely abhorred him - Luffy excluded - and Sabo found himself wondering just what this man’s motives were.

Sabo had been prepared to die, back in the dungeons.

He’d majorly pissed off a prince, there was no way the vampire would take it lying down, and yet Sabo had lived. It wasn’t that Sabo was unhappy that he’d survived, but it felt like fate had thrown his determination and acceptance staight back in his face, mocking him. Had he been through all of that for _nothing_?

Sabo coughed once more to clear his throat. “But why am I _here_? You live in this castle, don’t you? I’m a prisoner here, you shouldn’t be treating my injuries, giving me water,” he tried to explain, still not understanding. Nothing about this sat right with Sabo, putting him on edge. He could understand them wanting to keep him alive for more information, but going as far as to bring him out of the dungeons for medical attention was wholly unnecessary. So why had they? Sabo had the distinct feeling that he was missing some vital piece of information but his muddled mind couldn’t muster up a guess as to what it could be.

“Ahh, that’s the question you meant to ask. You meant why are you _here_ , not why are you here.” The man smiled apologetically, and Sabo gave him an incredulous look. Just how dense was he?

“But still, my answer would not change all that much. We’re not evil you know, we don’t keep prisoners because we like it. Your group was just unfortunate enough to try and plan an attack on our home. The interrogation methods are rough, I will admit that, but I won’t condone your people or ask for forgiveness on our part. War is an awful thing that brings out the worst in both of our kinds, and prisoners of war are only a part of that ugliness.

“But that’s not what you’re asking, I’m guessing. You want to know why we have taken an interest in you specifically out of your little group? You’re a human, have you heard of the story of the two mountain tribes?” he asked, not actually waiting for an answer as he delved into the story regardless.

“Long ago, two human tribes lived atop of neighboring mountains, the Arikaru in the west and the Sarien in the east. And with all great stories, there must always be a conflict. The Arikaru tribe was at a constant rivalry with the Sarien. If the Sarien grew more crops in the summer, the Arikaru produced more wood for the winter. In began like this, small ways where they tried to outdo each other to prove their superiority. Insults were thrown, of course, but it wasn’t until somebody burned down the crops of the Arikaru that the rivalry between the two grew bloody.

“The two mountains became a place of danger not only to the two tribes but to all who set foot near them as well. For years the war and bitterness raged on, nobody ever daring to make a move to settle it peacefully. People of the opposing tribe were slaughtered without another thought, yet the needless bloodshed was still not enough to bring an end to this war. The perpetual battle between the two had its drawbacks, and as time passed, both tribes began to suffer from a lack of supplies and adequate food.

“Within the lower caste of the Sarien tribe was a young lad, the only son of a rabbit farmer who had fallen during the fighting. He was starving, as were the rest of the tribespeople. His rabbits were not enough to feed everybody, and he’d had to resort to hunting in the surrounding woods near the borders of the Arikaru to survive. Hunger always prevails over the possibility of danger, a man with one foot in the grave fears naught after all,” he said wisely.

“For weeks the boy hunted and survived peacefully in the forest, away from the fighting of the two tribes and their poisonous hatred of the other. It wasn’t until he was happily full and skinning his rabbit to prepare it for the next day that he felt odd. The hunger he’d just satisfied had returned with a vengeance, and so he began to cook the second rabbit. So engrossed was he in the task that he failed to notice he was being watched by a lingering shadow in the trees. It's hungry eyes were focused solely on the spoils of the boy’s effort.

“Unable to wait a second longer, the shadow leaped for the rabbit cooking over for the fire, driven to carelessness by the hunger that consumed him. As a result, he accidentally took a hot coal from the fire into his hand. Both boys screamed in pain at the same time, nursing their hands as heat blisters began to form on the burnt skin on their palms. The boy had not touched the fire, yet he was suffering from the same injury as the shadow.

They stared at each other with wide eyes, hunger forgotten at the absurdity of what had just happened. Before long, one worked up the courage to touch the other’s injured hand in disbelief, and sparks flew and birds sang in the background.

“Anyways kid, the point of the story is that these two people found one another during the most unlikely of times, and they discovered something odd that day. They were soulmates, bound by fate and destined to be linked for all eternity. They shared the other’s pains and injuries, and we have reason to believe that you and one of our brothers are like the two in the story; soulmates. You keeping up with me? Welcome to the family, my name’s Thatch. I’m the head chef around here, so if you need anything, just let me know,” he finished, offering a friendly smile and a hand to shake.

Sabo blinked, momentarily addled as he was pulled from the story the man had been telling. His gaze flickered from the hand to Thatch and back again, waiting for him to get to the point. But the vampire continued sitting there with his hand outstretched, and Sabo’s confusion only grew.

The more Thatch said, the less everything made sense, and Sabo honestly had no idea whether he was doing it on purpose or not. He’d said some pretty random things in the past five minutes, but this was just ridiculous. He couldn’t think of any reason why Thatch would be joking with him though, so there went that theory. Was confusion a new type of interrogation tactic? Sabo had no idea.

The story did sound familiar though, he had to admit. As a child, his mother had told him a similar story about two people who were so close that their heartbeats synchronized and they swore that they could feel the other’s emotions without even being near each other. They’d been lovers until a vampire slaughtered them both, envious of their deep connection.

But it was only a story, meant to show the cruelty that vampires possessed against humans and nothing more. There was no logic or truth to it; it wasn’t real. And yet Thatch was still giving Sabo that easygoing grin, as if he’d said everything he needed to despite the fact that there _had_ to be more.

All of this took no more than a few seconds to process, and in that timespan, Sabo made a decision. Clearly these vampires had gone a bit crazy if they believed in old stories about soulmates, but Sabo was out of the dungeons now. His injuries were being treated, and he was warm and comfortable for the first time in he didn’t even know how long.

If these vampires wanted to believe that he was magically connected to someone in their family, then Sabo wouldn’t argue. He’d play nice, let them believe whatever they wanted, and once he was recovered enough to make his escape, he’d be gone. Get out of this damned castle and go find out whether any of his friends had survived the siege.

He had an unexpected advantage as well; Luffy had told Sabo countless stories about the vampires living in this castle. Sabo already knew a fair amount about them - maybe more than he’d like - while they knew practically nothing about him. But they didn’t know that Luffy had already spilled quite a bit of information either, so Sabo presented Thatch a smile and took his hand, shaking it carefully. “Nice to meet you, Thatch. I’m Sabo.”

Thatch’s smile grew even wider and he pulled Sabo into a careful hug. “Great to meet you too, kid. Ah, it’s so refreshing to meet a new family member, we haven’t had one since, uh, about fifteen years?”

Sabo winced, repressing a shudder as his warm skin came into direct contact with the vampire’s freezing body. His planted smile faltered slightly at the mention of Luffy’s arrival, but by the time Thatch pulled back from the hug, Sabo had it firmly in place again. Fourteen years ago, these vampires had stolen Luffy’s life away. Thatch seemed like an easygoing guy and acted more than a little scatterbrained, but Sabo wouldn’t - _couldn’t_ \- let himself be fooled by what they are, what they’d done.

“Sabo, huh? I never would've thought a yeti could have such a catchy name,” Thatch mused, laughing once more. “Lu’s been going on and on about his friend the yeti, it’s all he ever talked about any more. What gave him that idea anyways?”

Sabo gave the vampire a smug smile and crossed his arms lightly. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. What kind of name is Thatch?” he countered, looking the vampire up and down. “That’s hardly any better than mister Yeti.”

“So the Yeti has a secret club. Why am I always the last to know about these sorts of things? I swear the only reason Luffy gives me the time of day is because I feed him,” he sighed melodramatically, picking up a ball of yarn of all things and began to fiddle with it idly.

“So listen, I know your meals haven’t exactly been regulated, you must be hungry. How does some chicken soup sound? We’re having venison later on today, but I don’t think you’ll be able to stomach solids all that well yet. Izo should be soon, so once you’re rid of me and she’s taking care of you, I can go make you a helping portion of chicken soup,” he offered, looping the string around his fingers.

Sabo’s mouth admittedly watered at the thought of a big bowl of soup, but at the same time, his stomach turned uneasily. He was starving, but Sabo knew that he couldn’t trust these people, not when he still had no idea what their intentions were.

Despite that, Sabo found himself nodding. “That would be nice, thank you.”

Thatch only nodded, wholly focused on whatever he was attempting to do with the yarn in his hands. It didn’t seem to be going well, and Sabo noted with amusement that the man’s tongue was poking out as he concentrated. “What’re you making?” he asked before he could stop himself from speaking out.

“I saw Haruta doing this once, she looped it around like this… no wait, like this,” he muttered, pulling on the strings but only succeeding in tangling his fingers more. “And this is somehow supposed to look like a bird, trust me. I’ll have her show you later if you want, the whole family’s been waiting at the edge of their seats to meet you.”

“Uh huh,” Sabo noised noncommittally, but the lack of a proper response didn’t seem to bother the vampire in the slightest.

“Do you want to give it a try?” he asked, offering up the giant knot of yarn that now encompassed his entire hand.

“Sure,” Sabo laughed, unable to hold back an amused smirk any longer. It took a moment for him to find the right loop, but one he pulled on it, the entire knot unravelled easily, freeing the fingers trapped within. Thatch looked absolutely dumbfounded, flexing his fingers in disbelief and making Sabo chuckle again.

He had an idea of what Thatch had been attempting, but it took him a few tries to get it right. After a few minutes of concentrated silence, Sabo proudly held up a small, indistinguishable yarn bird. He wasn’t entirely sure what species it was, maybe a pigeon or a crow, but Thatch looked impressed either way.

The vampire gingerly took the yarn bird from Sabo’s hand to observe it better. “Secret clubs, now yarn birds, is there anything else thing I should know about you? Next thing you know, Sabo isn’t even your real name!” Thatch exclaimed. “Show me how you do it?

“I’m a Pisces?” Sabo offered cheekily before taking the bird back and unravelling it once more. He then took Thatch’s cold hand and began to slowly weave the yarn around the vampire’s fingers. “See, you had the right idea, but you started wrong. You have to start from the left and move right, not the other way around. And then you just repeat this pattern over and over depending on how big you want it to be or what you want it to look like,” he explained, showing Thatch the pattern a few more times before pulling his hands back.

“Pisces, eh?” Thatch hummed, carefully repeating the pattern Sabo had shown him and looking pleased when it didn’t immediately go wrong. “I take it you follow the stars then?”

“You could say it’s an acquired hobby,” Sabo agreed. “No, you forgot to loop around your thumb again.”

Thatch cursed and backtracked before continuing on again, much slower this time. “Capricorn and Pisces are a great match, so I hear. A very solid and harmonious bond, makes you wonder what the cosmos were thinking when you were born, right? Giving you a perfect match even if it’s a little difficult to see at first. Hey, between you and me, do you have any romantic partners out there? Anyone waiting for you?”

Sabo shrugged neutrally. “Who is this Capricorn anyways? You haven’t told me, will I get to meet them soon?” he asked curiously, looking up when Thatch didn’t immediately respond. He hesitated, and Sabo knew instantly that whatever the vampire was about to say was a lie.

“I don’t know if that’s my place really, but it would be a problem if you and- I guess we can call him Capricorn, why not? It’s not like he’d care. It’s weird when you had someone on the outside involved. But you know Oyaji said that you two don’t have to be together, you can be just friends if you want. Hell, you’re practically part of the family now so I guess we all can be siblings and leave it at that,” he mused idly before presenting his creation, a phoenix. “Not bad, eh?”

Sabo raised a brow, wondering if Thatch even realized how little sense his response had made. Either way, Sabo had no intention of joining this coven, but he’d at least hoped that for a chance to meet his supposed soulmate. “But what’s his name? It’s not like I’ll know the guy.”

Thatch sighed, setting down the yarn bird. “I can’t just offer up his name like that, it isn’t my place to say. It was a struggle for him to even admit he was going through anything when the symptoms began,” he admitted, shrugging helplessly.

“I know I said ask and you shall receive, but this is one of those things that I just can’t do. Though I can safely tell you that I am not this fabled Capricorn,” he said quite seriously, smoothly running a hand over his pompadour with a dashing smile. “I know, a big disappointment that this handsome devil before you is not your destined, but I’m sure you'll get over it and find who your real soulmate is soon.”

Sabo was admittedly stuck on Thatch’s casual dropping of the word ‘symptoms’. To these vampires with their wild beliefs, all Sabo had amounted to nothing more than the anonymous source of their brother’s discomfort. And before that, Sabo was a nobody, a human who simply had something that they wanted. He _still_ held the information that they wanted, just what would they do to get it from him?

Despite the mistrust Sabo held for these vampires, part of him did believe Thatch when he said that he could say no more, so Sabo grudgingly dropped the topic for now. He’d figure it out eventually, these vampires weren’t the only ones skilled at gathering information. Sabo could be patient, and it wouldn’t be any sort of loss even if he never did discover Capricorn’s identity.

“Like I would ever want to date you,” he scoffed, turning away from the man superciliously. “I’d rather stab out my…” Sabo faltered, the disdainful remark dying in his throat as he became aware of the bandages securely wrapped around his head once more.

He couldn’t have _actually_ lost his eye, could he? Sure his face felt numb now, but that was just the pain medication acting up, or maybe the bandages were too tight. Feeling would return eventually after he rested for a few days, or weeks even. However long it would take was fine.

Sabo had the urge to just rip off the bandages and see the extent of the damage for himself, but he resisted it. Chances were that would just ultimately cause more problems than they would solve.

_I’ll have to wear an eyepatch._

The thought popped into his mind randomly, and Sabo gave an empty huff of amusement, lips twitching as he tried to imagine himself wearing an eyepatch. It was just… weird. He’d never been one for accessories. Or being half-blind.

Sabo’s mind was jumping all over the place as he truly began to realize the repercussions of living with only one eye. He would be completely blind on his left side for the rest of his life. There was no way he’d be allowed to fight with a disability that huge.

Sabo’s heart dropped, Thatch’s presence all but forgotten. What would he do with himself if he couldn’t fight any more? He’d waited ten whole years to join the hunters, ever since Luffy had been kidnapped. Sabo had practically built the second half of his life around the confidence that he would soon be strong enough to protect the people he loved - a confidence that now lay as broken and defeated as his body.

How could his life as a hunter be over already?

Sabo struggled to rein in his emotions, finding it harder to stop himself from removing the bandages around his head with each passing moment. He couldn’t trust anybody else’s words over something so crucial, he needed to see for himself. With slightly shaking hands, Sabo’s hands reached up, ignoring the aching protests his left shoulder gave at the awkward movement.

Even as he fingered the bandages, Sabo found himself hesitating. He didn’t want everything that he’d built his life up to be to suddenly be gone. The very thought terrified him, made him afraid to find out.

But no. He needed to know. There was only one way to repress the fears building up inside of him, so Sabo steeled his nerves and began to slowly unwrap the bandages.


	9. Chapter 9

“Hey, wait.”

Almost immediately, cold hands intercepted his own. Sabo jumped slightly, but he didn’t resist as Thatch pulled his hands away.

“The doctors said to leave it on for a couple more days. The tar is still sticking onto your skin, there isn’t anything to see,” Thatch said softly, and Sabo’s shoulders sagged in defeat.

“Look, I know it’s hell wanting to know, I’ve been there before. When I got this scar, I thought the knife had taken my eye along with it. I was afraid that I’d never get to see from this eye again, and it didn’t help that the cut itched like a bitch, because it did. As much as waiting sucks, you won’t be helping anything by rushing it.”

Sabo shook his head, not knowing what to say. He didn’t even know whether he was relieved or upset by the fact that Thatch had stopped him. How much longer could he last without knowing the condition of his eye? “I-”

“Yeeeetttiiii!”

Whatever Sabo was about to say was interrupted by a small mass catapulting into his lap. He groaned and curled in on himself, but the action only drew out more pain from the lashes on his back.

“Yeti you’re awake I knew it! See Izo I told you! You’ve been asleep forever, everybody was really worried. Acey was in here too, he got sick again. Are you sick too mister Yeti?” Luffy asked all in the same breath, bouncing happily in Sabo’s lap.

The pain the child brought was more unexpected than overwhelming, but even with the painkillers they’d undoubtedly pumped him up with, it still took a long moment for Sabo to regather himself. And as gently yet firmly as he could, Sabo took the happily bouncing child’s arms and forcibly stilled him, gritting his teeth as he waited for the pain to subside.

“Sorry Lu, I was tired. But I’m better now.” He smiled faintly as he looked at Luffy. He didn’t know why he felt so surprised behind the initial shock of pain, and it took him a moment to find the reason.

Back in the dungeons, Sabo had thought he’d never see Luffy again. Now that he was holding Luffy again, it felt almost surreal. Luffy was alive, safe and happy. That fact alone was enough to bring Sabo the smallest bit of peace.

He pulled Luffy in closer for a hug without another word, completely engulfing the child in his arms. Nose buried in his hair, Sabo ignored the others in the room and savored the feeling of holding Luffy securely in his arms.

Seeing Luffy again jolted something inside of Sabo, reigniting his determination. He couldn’t just give up just because he was injured, how could he have even considered it? Luffy was still alive - or as alive as a vampire could be - so Sabo would fight. Luffy had always meant more to him than even Sabo had ever hoped to understand, but he was immensely grateful that Luffy hadn’t died that day.

Luffy squirmed slightly in Sabo’s arms as the hug lingered, and after one last moment, Sabo finally pulled back, releasing the child. “I missed you,” he said honestly, bringing up a hand to rest on Luffy’s head.

“Well now if you’ll excuse me,” Thatch said loudly, making Sabo jump. “I have a kitchen to attend to and some chicken soup to make. One bowl is all you’re getting blondie, I don’t want to hear any protests. We’ll be lucky if you can even manage that bowl,” he said sternly before grinning.

He pocketed the bird along with all the spare yarn, heading to the door before pausing. “Ah, but where are my manners? Sabo, this is my wonderful sister Izo, and Izo my lovely, this is our newest brother Sabo the Yeti.” Thatch winked to Luffy as he left, who beamed in response.

“Shishishi, I missed you too Sabby,” Luffy chimed immediately. “You’re way prettier than the flower.”

“What happened to Yeti? Make up your mind already, am I a yeti, a flower, or a Sabby?” he admonished fondly, flicking Luffy’s forehead. There was a small smile on Sabo’s face though, ruining the effect.

Luffy grinned back, not looking chided at all. “Shishishi, you were a yeti first, then Sabby, and _now_ you’re a flower. Isn’t he a pretty flower Izo?” he asked, turning to the dark haired woman who chuckled in response.

“Yes, he is quite beautiful,” she commented, sinking into the chair Thatch had vacated and pushing a lock of stray hair behind her ear. “And _you_ are quite a handful. I don’t know where Ace gets all the energy to keep up with you,” she said tiredly, but Luffy only laughed.

“You’re silly, Izo. Sabby, do you wanna play with me and Acey later? We saw treasure around the pond earlier, didn’t we Izo?” Luffy questioned, turning once more to look at Izo. She hummed in agreement, and Luffy didn’t even offer Sabo a chance to say anything, continuing to chatter away. “Yeah! We can all go hunt treasure together, and then after we can go to the kitchen and steal some of Thatchy’s brownies! Oh, but don’t worry Sabby, Izo won’t tell, right?”

“My lips are sealed,” she promised, looking over Sabo curiously. “How are you feeling? I know none of this must be comfortable for you, but is there anything we can do? Anything I could clarify for you? Thatch means well, but he can be a little dense at times. If he failed to explain anything, I’d be glad to offer what knowledge I have.”

“I’ve been better, but no. I’m sure Thatch explained just as well as anybody else could,” he replied easily, shaking his head at the offer. He narrowed his eye at the child in his lap, who was making a rude face at Sabo for ignoring him. Sabo stuck his tongue out back at him and Luffy huffed, upping his game with some added rude gestures. Sabo was considering the merits of shoving Luffy onto the floor when Izo spoke once more.

“You two seem close,” she noted with a secretive smile, and Sabo snapped back to attention, his guard rising. He observed his new guest with caution, getting a feeling that she was very different than Thatch. She was much quieter than him for starters, and Sabo took that to mean more observant as well. She seemed very patient, and her presence was unassuming and unthreatening. He would need to be more careful with what he said around her if he wanted to avoid giving too much away.

Sabo had the feeling she was sizing him up as well, and it was unnerving to be watched so closely. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me who Capricorn is?”

“Capricorn?” she repeated, looking confused for a moment before her eyes lit with understanding. “Ah, is that what we’re calling him? Interesting, I never took Thatch as one to use astrological signs for codenames, but I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to reveal such information. It’s something the two of you will need to discuss, though I suppose I can offer just the slightest bit of insight on him if you’re that curious. However, would it be rude of me to ask something in return? Information for information. I’m not asking for anything major such as your mission details, just indulge me and my curiosities?” she asked, a small smile perched upon her painted lips.

Sabo’s kneejerk reaction was to say no. He didn’t want these vampires knowing anything about him, but when he took a step back and considered the offer, he spotted the potential information he could gain. He didn’t think Izo would press the matter if he refused, but if he did accept, it would be the perfect opportunity to find out a little more about the new family Luffy had chosen. Any unwanted questions could be easily deflected, and she would be unable to call him out on it.

“Alright.”

Izo gestured that he could go first, and Sabo bit his lip as he pondered what his first question should be. The only thing he truly wanted to know was who Capricorn was. Their evasion of the topic had only served to further Sabo’s growing curiosity, but he had the distinct feeling that Izo wouldn’t answer.

His mind drifted, trying to pick out something good when it popped into his head. “Alright, first question: who is Pineapple?” He gave the child in his lap an unimpressed look. Luffy was infamous for giving nicknames to everybody and everything he met, but what could the story behind Pineapple possibly be? It was as good a place to start as any.

Izo laughed, the sound soft and exasperated. “Luffy darling, you know it’s not nice to call him that,” she chided halfheartedly, but Luffy was studiously not paying attention, admitting no fault. “Pineapple is a nickname that was established long before Luffy joined us in the castle. You see, our eldest brother has a… distinct silhouette, as you might put it. His name is Marco, and I would suggest you don’t refer to him as Pineapple when you meet. He may be used to Thatch’s silly nicknames and Luffy’s childish inclination to follow other’s leads, but he is sensitive over the topic. I’ll let you see for yourself why he is called such. As for my question, what region were you born in?”

Sabo nodded slowly, more confused than before. He had no idea what ‘distinct silhouette’ was supposed to mean, but he didn’t want to waste a question to ask for clarification. It wasn’t a vital question anyways, he would just have to wait and see for himself.

“I grew up in the south, near the border. What’s Capricorn like? You said I couldn’t ask his name, but this is different.” The way Sabo saw it, if he could get some more information on this mysterious brother, it might be possible to pick him out of Luffy’s stories.

A smile lifted the corner of Izo’s lips. “Indeed I did, and rest assured I was not about to go back on my word. I do, however, wonder how you perceive him to be? Allow that to be my exchange question, and please do be honest with me. You know by now that he is a vampire, does that make you wish he was not the one you were linked to?” she asked, her eyes carefully neutral.

“As for your question, Capricorn is rather hard to describe. He’s jaded from years that have long since passed. When he first came to us he was afraid and alone, it was heartbreaking, really. He wanted nothing more than to be turned, but at his young age you can imagine reluctant we were to risk his life like that, so we made him wait.

“He hated us for that, he reproached our father Whitebeard for years, even tried to take him out all on his own more than once. Of course he never succeeded in taking our Oyaji’s head, but when the time came and we finally turned him, it wasn’t what he’d been looking for. I think what he wanted was a family, and he found one here with us.

“He’s been with us ever since, and I’ll be the first to tell you that he has the biggest heart, even if he only chooses to reveal it to a select few. He’s kind despite what he will tell you, you simply need to reassure him that you hold no ill intent towards this family.”

Sabo had the distinct impression that Izo was presenting Capricorn to him, but the information was interesting either way. He wanted to ask more on just what had happened to Capricorn for him to ask to become a vampire, but Sabo could tell that Izo would give no more information on the matter.

He thought on Izo’s question and the information he’d been given, uncertain of how to respond. “He… I guess he reminds me of myself, when I was younger. Lonely, but cautious too. I don’t really know enough to form a solid opinion, but that’s my first impression. As for him being a vampire, I have no love for your kind. I am curious to find out more about him though.” He settled on that answer, not sure just what she was looking for.

“That counted for two questions, so here are your two: what do you know about Luffy and what’s your opinion on him?” The mentioned child’s eyes were drooping as he got comfortable in Sabo’s lap, either not understanding or not caring about the conversation. The curtains in the room were drawn, giving Sabo no sense of what time of day it was, but if Luffy’s sleep schedule aligned with most vampire’s, it would be safe to assume it was late morning or possibly early afternoon. The equivalent of a human child staying up until midnight.

Izo seemed pleased with his answer, and Sabo brought his attention back to the vampire. “Yes, of course it would be quite a stretch for us to ask you to suddenly love vampires. While I shouldn’t speak for the rest of my family, I personally won’t hold it against you, nor will I blame you if you should choose to harbor a distaste towards us. That being said, I _will_ say that any ill will dealt to any of this family will not be taken lightly, not by me and certainly not by our father,” she stated, and Sabo’s eye narrowed.

“Despite what you may think, I’m not suicidal. I’m alone and injured in a castle full of vampires who I’m sure don’t particularly like me. There’s a reason we work in groups.”

“Oh, oh no, Sabo, that is not a threat, I promise,” she backtracked rather quickly. “You’re family now, should you choose to join us. We do have our quarrels like any other family, but we would never threaten you like that, I was merely informing you sooner rather than later,” she explained, and sighed.

“While I am willing to honor our agreement, please understand that I’m not at liberty to tell you everything. I’m afraid you’ll need to talk to Ace for the full story, but I will try to answer your question the best I can. He was turned far, far too young- it’s a miracle he survived at all, but as a result, he’s lost all memories of his past. We consider it a blessing, and once you speak with Ace you’ll see why.”

Sabo scowled, his arms unconsciously tightening around Luffy, who’d been slowly nodding off in his lap. The boy’s head tilted back groggily and he peered up at the blond through lidded eyelids, who offered a small smile in return. Sabo sifted his fingers through the messy black hair, watching as the last of the boy’s defenses against sleep crumbled. Before long, the child was fast asleep in Sabo’s lap.

A knowing smile was on Izo’s lips as she watched the two, but she didn’t comment on it. “Everybody in the castle loves Luffy. He’s our little brother, and he lights up our long existence with his smiles and laughs every day. He’s the brightest child I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and a whirlwind of energy on top of that. I admit that he is a handful at times, but we’re more than happy to look after him and see him smile. Tell me Sabo, do you suspect us of his turning?

Sabo’s gaze had strayed back to Luffy once more, seemingly unable to look away for too long. It was irrational, but some small part of him felt like if he didn’t pay close enough attention, Luffy would disappear again, that he had been a hallucination after all and Sabo would soon wake up to see the wall of his cell again.

A small smile graced his lips at the sight of Luffy sprawled out across his lap though, his inner turmoil slipping away for the moment. Sabo pulled Luffy closer, repositioning him so he wasn’t in danger of falling from the bed should he roll over in his sleep. His sleep was peaceful, and he even made the little occasional noise the exact same way Sabo remembered. They used to keep him up at night, but he remembered how quiet his room had felt that first night after Luffy had gone.

Luffy didn’t remember anything, and most likely never would. Sabo had suspected that was the case from the beginning, but now his suspicions had been confirmed. To Luffy, Sabo was no more than an interesting stranger now, their past together erased.

“I don’t see how I _couldn’t_ suspect you.” Sabo kept his gaze trained on his bandaged left hand, flexing his fingers slowly and trying to work past the pain as a distraction. “I don’t know anything about you, I don’t know what you know about him, and he doesn’t even know that there’s anything he’s supposed to be remembering. The only things I do know have come from Luffy and from you, and neither are exactly reliable, unbiased sources. How do you and the others see me?”

Sabo could feel her eyes on him, but he refused to meet them. She was being rather forward with her answers, supplying more information that he’d strictly asked for, and yet Sabo still had no clues as to who Capricorn could be or what had happened to Luffy. She was purposely telling Sabo just enough that he couldn’t accuse her of holding back while not giving away any of the information Sabo truly wanted to know. Surely by now she must suspect that Sabo knew Luffy beyond being an occasional visitor to his cell, and yet she hadn’t asked a thing about it. He wondered what her reaction would be if he told her just how well he knew Luffy, but he wasn’t going to broach the topic.

“Truthfully, none of us thought much of you at all at first,” Izo said quietly, and Sabo’s shoulders tensed. “I won’t sugar coat it, as I suspect that you would rather I not. Before that, I feel there’s something that needs to be clarified first. We do not hate humans, Sabo. We take no joy in holding prisoners, but war brings out the worst in all of us. We are not all heartless monsters who prey upon the innocent, we’ve tried countless times in the past to get along with humans. Your kind is a food source to us, yes, but we need not drain you. It is rare when a vampire does that, and when it does happen I assure you that the offender is punished. Our kind has its bad seeds, as does yours, and it is because of these bad seeds that the hunters were formed.

“Returning to your question, we barely know you, as you said. All we know is that you were a prisoner of interest due to your standing within the hunters. Thus, our opinion of you was that you were a very valuable source of information. And while we still want and need that information from you, we will not force it from you.” She spoke softly, but Sabo continued staring down at his hand, not letting the emotions playing out inside of him show on his face.

“I, for one, find you interesting. I hope that you’ll decide to stick around for a while longer and allow us to show you that we don’t personally mean you any harm despite recent events. I know you must be doubtful of that after what we’ve put you through, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide what our intentions and opinions are. What about you, then? I asked your opinion on Capricorn, but what about the family as a whole?”

He’d expected as much, and despite his distrust, Sabo found himself liking Izo. Her words seemed to be genuine, and he appreciated how she didn’t tiptoe around a topic because it was awkward. Whether he believed that she was telling the truth or not had yet to be decided, however. “I don’t have any particular opinion. You know I have no love for your kind and it’s like I said before: I know nothing about you. You say it’s rare that vampires completely drain their victims, but over the years I have met more people than I care to count who’ve lost loved ones to vampires. You say they’re punished for needless killing, but that offers no consolation to the families who have lost family, friends, and lovers to your kind’s insatiable cravings. I have seen firsthand the cruelty of vampires and how little thought they give towards entire human lives. I understand that not all of you are cruel and heartless, but there are enough who are that it can’t be ignored.”

“Valid points on all accounts my dear, but do not fail to see the double edged sword. Many of our peaceful brethren have been put to death simply because they happen to have our gift, but why don’t we set the politics aside for now? We won’t resolve anything by arguing back and forth over who’s right, especially when you and I are merely contributors to the opposing sides,” she suggested, and Sabo nodded.

“Fair enough. I suppose I wasn’t entirely truthful saying I have no opinion whatsoever,” Sabo relented. “I won’t say that I trust you or that I don’t care about what you are, because yes, it does matter. But, I can’t really say that I hate you either. I hate what you’ve done, but…”

Sabo hesitated, trying to organize his thoughts. A hand tangled through Luffy’s hair as he thought, drawing a false sense of security from the child’s presence.

“You’re his new family.” He spoke slowly, struggling to keep his voice neutral. “He loves you. I may not know the hows or the whos, but he’s happy here. And for that reason, I _can’t_ hate you,” he admitted, keeping his gaze locked onto the child in his lap. Luffy had this way of _knowing_ people even without knowing a thing about them, and if any of these vampires had bad intentions, Luffy would have been able to pick it up. “How did you find out about this soulmate thing?”

“Sabo, we mean Luffy no harm, on that I swear to you my life. Any one of us would do anything for him.” Sabo said nothing, wanting to move on. He’d already said more than he’d originally planned, and he wasn’t about to spew out his entire life story and innermost thoughts to somebody he barely knew, Luffy’s family or not.

Izo seemed to sense his discomfort and thankfully dropped the topic. “We still find it strange, though not as strange as Capricorn. He’s been struggling to wrap his head around the concept from the beginning, as I’m sure you are too. We never realized that such a thing was possible, for countless years we believed the stories to be nothing more than a myth amongst humans. Two souls sharing a bond strong enough to reflect pain to one another, it sounds like something from a fairy tale,” she mused aloud.

“It’s quite poetic when you think about it, the cross is not yours alone to bear, but it is shared. Our eldest brother Marco was the one to put the pieces together, figuring out that the manners in which your interrogations were held matched the misfortunes that were befalling our brother. Your confrontation with Ace was the final clue, or more specifically, the punishment that came afterwards. Tell me Sabo dear, do you resent Ace for the command he gave?”

Sabo’s lips parted, ready to tell her ‘yes, absolutely’, but no such words came out. He found himself hesitating once, and Sabo pursed his lips. It wasn’t something he’d exactly had much time to think about, and his answer kept bouncing back and forth.

Yes, Sabo resented Ace for the hell he’d put him through, but it didn’t sit right with Sabo to have his answer so cut and dry. Ace was Luffy’s appointed father, he was the person Luffy was closest to, and that _mattered_. Luffy had chosen Ace specifically from the bunch - Sabo was sure he had - because he was caring and loving and fun for Luffy to be with, but Sabo found himself struggling when his own impression of Ace conflicted so deeply with Luffy’s stories. From what little Sabo had seen himself, Ace was irrational and cruel, quick to anger and overly suspicious.

Logically, Sabo knew that he couldn’t _really_ resent Ace for that order, as Sabo had been the one to provoke him into giving it. At the same time, Sabo couldn’t bring himself to regret his actions either. If he’d just shut up and let Ace leave, Sabo would still be down in those cells; cold, starving, and waiting for death. His entire body was littered with more burns, bruises, and slashes than he cared to count, and it was more than likely that many of them would scar. He would forever carry a permanent reminder of what exactly had happened in this castle, so no, he didn't regret provoking Ace, but that wasn’t what Izo had asked.

It was more than just likely that Luffy had Ace wrapped around his little finger, and honestly, Sabo wasn’t any better. If that was the case, then Sabo supposed that he couldn’t fairly criticize Ace’s irrational anger at - from Ace’s point of view - seeing Luffy in potential danger. With that frame of mind, the only thing that truly differed between himself and Ace was that Sabo would have never sentenced anybody to death for it. Sabo knew Ace had been aiming for death when he gave the order and would no doubt be furious that Sabo had survived.

Sabo could understand Ace’s motives, and yet his wounds still ached, and as of now, he still only had vision in one eye. “I… I can’t say. I don’t know. Do I resent him for being the reason I nearly died? Yes. Do I resent his reasoning for giving the order? No, I can’t, really. Do I resent him for being so close to Luffy? I don’t know,” he admitted, shaking his head. The twists and turns his mind was making were tiring to puzzle through, and frankly, it was too much effort for him at the moment. Somehow he’d ended up giving too much away again, and Sabo had to wonder what it was about Izo that made her easy to confide in. “Why did you join this family?”

“Are you really that curious about me?” She made no comment on Sabo’s confusing reply, much to his relief. “That is not the question I ask in return, but because you have been so open with me I will be open with you as well.” Sabo couldn’t help the brief flash of guilt run through him at that, but he didn’t let it show on his face. The smile perched on her lips was secretive, knowing, giving Sabo the distinct impression that he’d slipped up somewhere and said too much.

“It has been ages, but I can still remember-”

Thatch swept into the room then, a winning grin in place. “Hey Izzy, sorry it took so long! Oyaji wanted to ask me a few things and that venison was still kicking strong so I had to wrestle with it a bit.” Izo simply chucked and Thatch rounded on Sabo.

“And don’t think I forgot about you, kid. Eat up, but remember slow and steady wins the race. I tried my best to make something so you’ll be able to keep it down.” He set the tray he was carrying down in front of the blond with practiced ease, and all of Sabo’s attention was immediately diverted to the bowl of chicken soup.The soup smelled amazing, and his stomach rumbled at the reminder of just how long it had been since he last ate: too damn long.

He took a cautious bite, and was pleasantly surprised. It was delicious as he’d suspected, and Sabo was about to say so when he realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to tease the self-proclaimed chef a bit.

Sabo faked a heavy cough, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as he dropped the spoon back into the bowl. “You call this edible? I wouldn’t feed this to a dog,” he scoffed. He pushed the tray away and quite literally turned his nose from the meal, maintaining a stoic expression.

“FOOD!”

The cheerfully shouted word overpowered Izo’s laughter and Thatch’s indignant sputters of protest as Luffy awoke and began to guzzle down the unwanted soup. Sabo could have sworn he felt a rib crack from trying to curb his laughter. It was so utterly like Luffy to wake up in an instant at the mention of food, and the sight of him blissfully consuming the soup without a care in the world combined with Thatch’s indignant face did him in. Sabo burst into laughter until he was struggling to breathe, his tired lungs aching with the exertion.


	10. Chapter 10

Sabo hummed quietly as he read alone in his room. It was one of the rare times he wasn’t sleeping or crowded by vampires, so he could afford to lower his guard some and relax. He’d taken the liberty of asking Izo to bring him something from the castle’s expansive library to pass the time. The curtains next to the bed were open, allowing sunlight to pour in through the window onto his body. The warmth it provided was calming, leaving Sabo in a state of trance-like peacefulness.

The nurses and doctors visited him as little as possible. Whether it was because Sabo was human or because there wasn’t much they could actually do until the necessary treatment supplies arrived, Sabo didn’t know, and he didn’t mind either way. It was nice having some time to himself, even if those moments were few and far between in the days that had passed since he’d first woken up.

He’d taken his alone time as a chance to consider what he should do next. He still planned to leave the castle as soon as possible, but things had admittedly changed. The vampires had reassured him that he wouldn’t be held here against his will, but Sabo’s issue lie somewhere else now. The doctors had given him a recovery time of six to eight weeks, and that was in the best case scenario.

Standard procedure with the hunters gave him one full month to return, and then he would be considered missing in action and presumed dead. His position would be filled, not to mention he would be placed on the dead list for everybody he knew to see.

Sabo’d been here for a little over two weeks now, and it would take at least one more before he would be allowed to walk again. The interrogations and malnutrition had done quite a number on his body, and though there was nothing terribly wrong with his legs themselves, walking was strictly off limits until some of his more severe wounds began to heal.

So, while the bloodsuckers claimed they wouldn’t force him to stay against his will, Sabo knew that they certainly wouldn’t let him leave while he was still so heavily injured, either. His injuries would slow him down and, if he was being honest, he wasn’t entirely sure where the nearest hunter encampment was. Meaning that he would need to leave even sooner in order to give himself time to get his bearings and figure out just where he was going other than ‘down’. He would leave himself as much time to heal as possible, but his first priority above all was returning to the hunters.

That wasn’t the only problem with going back, however. He would undoubtedly be questioned about the vampires that had kept him; what they’d done to him, where they were based, what he’d found out about their strengths and weaknesses. The list went on and on. Over the past few days, Sabo had met just about everybody in the family, including Marco, and he was not disappointed.

When Izo had described the man as having a ‘distinct silhouette’, Sabo hadn’t suspected in the slightest that she was talking about the shape of his head. Sabo was fairly certain he wouldn’t have been able to make that connection on his own, but now that he knew, it was just one of those things he couldn’t unsee.

Marco was calm like Izo, but he seemed older and moved with a confidence that said he was much stronger than he might look at first glance. Where Izo had been curious, interested, Marco was cool and analytical. The rest of the family was wildly different from person to person, but it was clear why they called themselves a family when they weren’t strictly related. They were much closer than a typical coven bound by interest or turned blood; they truly regarded each other as brothers and sisters, with Whitebeard as their father. It had certainly been a surprise for Sabo to find that he’d been captive of one of the most infamous vampires around, but like the other family members, Whitebeard didn’t seem to hold any bad will towards Sabo despite the information he still withheld from them.

That wasn’t the main reason that Sabo found himself hesitant to tell the other hunters everything he’d learned though. Luffy lived in this castle, if Sabo divulged what he knew, the word would spread. They would inevitably plan a siege against the castle and kill everybody inside, Luffy included.

The castle was a strategic stronghold that could most certainly turn the tide of this war in the human’s favor, should they ever succeed in taking it over. It was perched on top of a mountain yet blended into the scenery so it was completely unnoticeable from below. Sabo suspected that was the main reason the camp had been destroyed in the first place; they’d had no idea it was so close. As a hunter, it was Sabo’s duty to support the cause in any and every way he could. If he was caught withholding this much information, it would be seen as nothing less than treason.

The door to the room opened, pulling Sabo from his thoughts.

“Izo said that she’s sorry, but she can’t clean the tar off now, so she sent me in her place.” The voice was clipped, far lower than Sabo had been expecting. Izo was by far his most common visitor, followed shortly by Thatch and Luffy. Those two tended to burst into the room in a cacophony of noise without warning, and the newcomer had fallen back to silence.

So when Sabo lifted his head to find none other than Ace standing at his door, he was more than a little surprised. The vampire was determinedly not looking at Sabo, studying the contents of a basket hooked in his arm instead. His muscles were drawn tighter than a bowstring, but he had a resigned air about him. It didn’t take a mind reader to see that Ace would rather be anywhere but in this room, not that Sabo was particularly thrilled to see him either.

The blond cleared his throat uncertainly. “I see.”

His eye drifted to the basket on Ace’s arm, and Sabo allowed himself a small smile as he recognized the contents. “Is that the mineral oil?”

The tar sticking to his skin no longer burned, but it was lumpy and awkward to lay on, not to mention it itched like hell. Sabo was glad to be rid of it, even if it was Ace was doing the job.

“What else would it be, a heartwarming gift basket?” the prince snorted, moving closer and setting the basket down at the foot of the bed. He reached over and jerked the heavy curtains closed, casting the room into considerable darkness.

“I know what you’re doing,” Ace spoke quietly, sifting through the basket of with a frown. “You might have everyone else fooled, but I know you’re only biding your time here. The others are too caught up in thinking that they have a new family member, they think you’ll come around despite the circumstances. What they somehow fail to realize is that we can’t trust you,” he bit out.

“You caught me,” Sabo replied dryly. “I let myself be captured and tortured to the brink of death just so I could secretly trick and kill you all while lying immobilized in this bed. What ever will I do now that you’ve found me out.”

Ace didn’t answer, giving the human an unimpressed glare. “Are you just going to sit there? Move to the edge of the bed,” he snapped, popping off the top of a jar of oil.

“Well it’s not like I can do much else at the moment.” Despite his irritation, Sabo set aside the book he’d been reading and scooted closer to the agitated vampire, defying all of his instincts telling him to _get away._ Everything about this made Sabo uncomfortable, but at least Ace clearly felt the same. Hopefully this would be over with quickly, for better or for worse.

“Do you even know what you’re doing? I figured one of the nurses would at least be around for this.”

“I know basic first aid, yes, but Izo told me how to do this. If you don’t want this to hurt, you better sit still. It’ll sting like a bitch if any of the oil gets into your wounds,” he warned, his voice slipping into a hiss that sent shivers up Sabo’s spine.

“Is that mineral oil or fucking _acid_?” he asked incredulously, scowling. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you and I’m certainly not going to put myself at further risk just for the sake of pissing you off. I don’t want to be in this castle any more than you want me here, but as you may or may not have noticed, I’m incapacitated. I can’t leave. If you don’t want to do this, go find somebody else, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“But it matters to Izo,” Ace muttered unhappily. “She would not give me acid to burn you with, she likes you.” Having said that, Ace poured some oil into his hands and began to massage it around the edges on the tar on Sabo’s left thigh. All of the smaller bits rubbed off easily enough, leaving the larger chunks that stung whenever Sabo accidentally pulled on them.

Neither of them spoke as Ace worked silently, coaxing the dead skin cells underneath the tar to flake off. The only comparison Sabo could make to what it felt like was peeling off a facial mask. It was strange in more ways than one, namely the fact that Ace was actually being quite gentle.

Now and then the tar would unexpectedly stick to his skin, eliciting a spark of pain as it ripped off some skin. Ace always gave pause when that happened, waiting for the pain to settle before moving on.

Sabo had to take off his shirt once Ace reached his torso, and he didn’t fail to notice how the prince’s eyes lingered on the glimpses of burnt flesh underneath the bandages for a moment.

The more tar Ace removed, the more amazed Sabo felt at the light sensation of freedom on his body. After spending days trapped beneath a layer of tar, the air felt cool and sweet on his skin as it was finally allowed to properly breathe again. His body felt warm and cold at the same time and the newly freed patches of skin itched more than ever, but Sabo would trade this dissonance for the uncomfortable lumps of black on his body any day.

He watched with almost morbid fascination as Ace continued peeling away the tar, exposing the burns and lacerations hiding beneath. A strange silence had settled between them, one that Sabo couldn’t quite describe.

Ace had reached Sabo’s shoulder by now, and judging by the increasingly frequent sparks of pain, he must be having trouble getting it to come off properly. His shoulder had been the point of origin, where the first few drops had fallen before the rest was poured out, so the tar was far thicker there. There were no more nerves there, but Sabo’s shoulder throbbed with phantom pain at the memory.

His muscles spasmed as a particularly strong spark of pain came from the back of his shoulder. He couldn’t see what Ace was doing from this angle, and Sabo bit his lip, contemplating the merits of asking a question.

It would probably just be spat back in his face, but it couldn’t hurt to ask, could it?

“Do you know who Capricorn is?”

Ace’s hands stopped. “Capricorn? If you want to talk astrology, go to Thatch. He might not look it, but-” Ace cut himself off. “There’s nobody by that name here. And why would you care? It’s not like you’re planning to stick around, all you’re doing is tricking them into taking care of you until you can sneak away and go back to the hunters. The others are too quick to trust, especially when it comes to poor, injured humans, ” Ace spat, his voice laced with bitterness.

“Just what do you think is going to happen if and when the hunters traced you back here? What would Luffy do? He would never understand if dangerous people burst in and started hurting his family.”

It was far more of a reply than Sabo had been expecting, even if it was stuffed to the brim with false accusations. “First, I didn’t choose the name Capricorn, Thatch did. It’s what everybody’s been calling my soulmate. I’ve yet to meet him and nobody will say a thing about him,” he sighed, fingering a newly freed numb spot on his hip.

“Second, I’m not _making_ them do anything. No, I don’t plan to stick around, but you want me gone either way, so what does it matter to you? Whether you believe me or not, my sole desire in life isn’t to eradicate all of your kind. I’m not planning to nor do I even want to kill your family. I have a family of my own to protect,” he stated firmly.

“Trust me, I know all too well just how innocent Luffy is. You may be his father, but-”

“But what? I could never love him the way he deserves? I’m incapable of it because I’m not human?” Ace interrupted coldly, making Sabo cringe as he realized how the vampire had taken the words. “I didn’t come here to fight with you, human, I came to make my sister stop her nagging.”

The vampire promptly resumed his work of peeling off more tar, and Sabo sighed. The air between them was tense once more, and Sabo almost longed for the strange silence they’d shared before.

He was surrounded by a semicircle of tar flakes that Ace hadn’t bothered to brush away, and Sabo found himself fiddling with a piece nervously. This conversation had gone wrong, but really, it should have been expected.

“Are you eager to meet him?”

The question surprised Sabo; he’d figured Ace would refuse to say any more after that disaster of a conversation. “What difference would it make if you did know who he was?”

Sabo bit his lip, choosing his words carefully. He had no idea what Ace’s relationship to Capricorn was, but he didn’t need to piss off the vampire any more. “Curious would be a better term. I know next to nothing about him, so I have no clue what difference it would make. Clearly a big one going by how everybody’s been tiptoeing around the subject. Should I just assume that you won’t tell me, either?”

Sabo shivered as Ace’s cold hands moved to his neck. It was odd to be in such a vulnerable position with somebody he knew didn’t like him. If Ace chose to, he could easily snap Sabo’s neck with a quick flick of his wrist. Ace was capable and willing to kill him at any point, but Sabo felt no fear for his life. If Ace was going to kill him, he would have done so at the very beginning before Sabo had a chance to get a word in edgewise. Of course that could always change, but Sabo had the impression that they’d reached an impasse of sorts.

“What would you do if I said it was Oyaji? Have you given any thought to why all of his sons and daughters are being so nice to you and how you escaped life imprisonment due to the discovery of this link? Have you not wondered why all of the others warmed up to you so quickly? Even Marco’s begun to fuss.” Ace’s voice had softened some, and Sabo wondered if the vampire was even aware of the fact.

“You should see him out there, checking in with nurses and with Thatch to make sure you’re being properly taken care of. He only does that with his family, something he’s convinced you’ve become in the past three days. We all care about Oyaji and everything he stands for. This family wouldn’t exist without him, perhaps the others are denying you his identity because they fear you might wound yourself and turn him in. Wouldn’t your people relish in his downfall?” he pressed.

“More so, have you given thought to why you’re allowed so much freedom and why they want you to get well soon? Oyaji is one of if not _the_ most important person to all of us, naturally his partnered soul is to be treated with care. What will you do with this information, hunter? Can we let you leave when you hold the life of our dear father in your hands?”

“...Whitebeard,” Sabo repeated dubiously. “And you’re being serious?”

Ace didn’t respond, and Sabo took that as a yes. He considered it, not knowing what to say to such a wild idea. It would certainly explain why they were so eager for Sabo’s forgiveness, why they were being nice to him, but the scenario didn’t sit right. “That would be… weird,” he admitted haltingly. “I’ve only seen him once, he’s so much older than me. And he has so many kids, I’m only twenty two.”

Sabo’s lips twisted into an amused smile. “Wouldn’t that make you my son then? And Luffy my grandchild?” His nose wrinkled, however, as that train of thought continued. “I refuse to be the mother.”

“But, as for what I plan to do with this information, I don’t know. There are more people who want his head than there are stars in the sky, but I never expected this. I… I can’t hurt Luffy like that. I don’t want to inadvertently be the reason he’s killed, because I know you’re right.” Sabo’s voice quieted, but he still felt like he was being far too loud.

“No true hunter would care to distinguish between any man, woman, or child when it comes to vampires. Maybe you shouldn’t let me leave. Maybe you should just kill me now, so you won’t even have to worry about it. You can’t trust me just as I can’t trust you. Sure, I would _like_ to leave, and I can tell you over and over until I’m blue in the face that I’m not planning anything, but ultimately, it’s up to you guys,” he sighed, tilting his head forward to offer Ace a better angle to work with.

“This is all a mess,” he muttered under his breath, repeatedly turning a chunk of tar over in his hands.

“You’re telling me,” Ace murmured back, the words so quiet that Sabo almost missed them entirely. He relaxed some as Ace didn’t immediately refute his answer, mulling on his words.

“I couldn’t kill you even if I wanted to. I couldn’t do that to them or Lu, and especially not to Oyaji,” Ace said tiredly. “But don’t think for a second that I’ll call you mom. I could probably get Lu to call you nana?”

Sabo snorted, and he could practically feel Ace’s smirk of amusement. “And don’t think for a second that I even want to be the mom. But sure, why not. He already calls me everything other than my actual name. Oh, speaking of nicknames, who’s responsible for Pineapple? I asked Thatch, but he claimed that he doesn’t kiss and tell.”

“Does it matter where the Pineapple came from? It’s like trying to figure out what came first, the chicken or the egg. Though in our case it would be the hen and the pineapple,” Ace chuckled. The moment was short-lived though, and Sabo could pinpoint the exact moment that Ace shut down again, refusing to say any more.

The easygoing smile faded from Sabo’s face and he sighed once more, wishing Luffy was there. He had a way of dissolving awkward silences like the one currently taking charge of the room. Sabo would take Luffy’s endless babbling over awkward silence any day, even if it was just the hundredth retelling of how he’d gotten his hat.

_His hat._

Sabo realized with a start that he hadn’t seen Luffy’s straw hat once at the castle, and the corners of his lips tugged down into a frown. Luffy used to wear it absolutely everywhere… was it possible that he’d forgotten its importance during the changing? The thought saddened Sabo, and he found himself asking, “Does Luffy still have his straw hat?”

“How?” Ace asked, his voice low. “How could you possibly know that he has a hat? Did you…”

 _Shit_.

Sabo hadn’t seen Luffy’s hat since his capture, meaning he shouldn’t have known it existed in the first place. He could feel Ace sizing him up, and Sabo knew that he would have to choose his words carefully should he want to survive this encounter. “I... met him a while back. He helped me, and I remember that he had this straw hat. I haven’t seen him wearing it around, so I was curious, that’s all.”

“A while back,” Ace repeated, his voice hardened and icy, and Sabo knew instantly that he’d said the wrong thing. He strongly doubted there had ever been a right thing to say to begin with, actually.

“You expect me to believe that Luffy helped you and never once said anything about it? He never steps out of the castle walls without one of us by his side, and while my family might tolerate your kind, they do not tolerate hunters. The only way you could have encountered him would be if you knew him while he was human.” With every word, Ace’s voice grew darker and deeper, his hands tightening on a chunk of tar on the back of Sabo’s neck.

Sabo gasped, his body bending backwards unnaturally in an attempt to relieve the sudden, sharp pain in his neck. His hand instinctively reached up to behind his shoulder where he usually wore his staff but grasped only at empty air. With growing horror, Sabo realized that he was unarmed and therefore entirely unable to defend himself from Ace. He was at the mercy of a pissed off vampire, and in that moment, Sabo was afraid.

“ _Ace._ ”

Izo stepped into the room, seething, and Sabo felt his heart drop out of his chest. His breathing hitched from a rush of panicked adrenaline, but he still could do nothing to defend himself. Ace’s firm hold on his neck rendered Sabo completely immobile, lest he wanted to rip out a huge chunk of skin in the process. All of his muscles were rigid and tense, waiting for one or both of the vampires to attack.

“You’re done. Go,” Izo said sternly, her eyes reflecting an unsaid order. And, to Sabo’s disbelief, Ace obeyed. He released Sabo’s neck and furiously swept out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

His sole eye blown wide, Sabo’s hand flew up to cover the back of his neck. Ace had ripped off a good chunk of skin in his anger, and it stung like a bitch, making Sabo grit his teeth. His fingertips came back red, and Sabo could feel blood oozing sluggishly from the new wound.

His hands were shaking, the adrenaline coursing through his system and flooding his body with unrestrained energy even after Ace had left. Sabo’s mind had snapped into survival mode, and his body automatically shifted into a more agile and defensive position. His eye was trained on Izo, dissecting her body language, trying to predict her next attack before it would happen.

No such attack came though, and Sabo blinked. Opposite to what he’d first thought, Izo seemed more frustrated and concerned than aggressive. Her stance wasn’t wide enough for any type of fast movement, and her fangs weren’t even out despite the fact that she _must_ have been able to smell the blood in the room.

She wasn’t about to attack, but why? By all means she should have sided with her family over a hunter and yet, here he was, still alive. She’d protected him without even knowing what Sabo had done to provoke Ace. Just what the hell was she doing?

Izo attempted to give Sabo what he assumed was supposed to be a reassuring smile, but soon let it drop. “Don’t be afraid Sabo, please. This is my fault, really, I insisted that he come in my place, I should have expected something like this would happen. It wasn’t my intention to put you in danger, I swear.”

“Why?” Sabo asked, his voice hard and steely. He didn’t drop his guard for a second, trusting his instincts over his mind. “Why did you stop him?”

Izo’s lips pressed together into a thin line. “Because it was more than a brawl. Ace was set on blood, not a friendly spar. To kill a family member goes against everything we stand for.” Her eyes ventured over the discarded pieces of tar surrounding the hunter, and she dared to take a few steps closer. “Now, let me finish removing the tar so we can clean and treat the burns. You want to heal as quickly as you can, don’t you?”

“I know that,” Sabo replied tersely, ignoring her question. “But why do you _care_? I’m a stranger, a human, and a hunter on top of that. I trick and kill vampires for a living. You are being entirely irrational in liking me. None of you make any sense and it’s _confusing_ me.” Maybe pointing that out was suicidal of him, but Sabo was past the point of caring. He needed answers and he needed them _yesterday_.

Izo only laughed, however, and Sabo stiffened, giving her an incredulous look. “Does family ever make sense, Sabo dear? We don’t always choose our family and we don’t necessarily choose who we love, but I’m afraid you’ve gone beyond the point of being a stranger to us. No, we may not know you all too well yet, and you are a human and a hunter, but you’re still family. Most of us used to be humans too, even Haruta used to be a hunter of sorts like you are. We all have different backgrounds, but that’s never stopped us before, so why should it now?” she asked, continuing her slow approach.

“And if I don’t want to be part of your family?” Sabo asked, a sharp blue eye tracking her every movement. “I know too much, you can’t just let me leave. What’s to stop me from betraying you all?”

“Somebody that plans on betraying another wouldn’t look so guilty about it. If you don’t want to be associated with us, we’d understand. Don’t think that you would be the first person to deny us,” Izo said softly and dared to reach out and gently card her fingers through Sabo’s hair. “That won’t stop us from caring about you, Sabo. And quite truthfully, I don’t see any unkindness in your eyes, either. You would never betray us, family or not. Or am I wrong in assuming that?”

Sabo closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He made to jerk away from under Izo’s hand, but his body didn’t move. Her touch was comforting somehow, and his breath slowly released, confused by what he was feeling. His fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly as Sabo tried to get a grip on himself. His head dropped down, exposing the marred skin on his neck and back.

“I just… I want to go home,” he whispered, using his hair as a divider between himself and Izo. This was just all too much for him; the attack on the camp, his imprisonment, seeing Luffy again, this whole soulmate thing, losing his eye... _all of it._ His body was at its limit trying to carry the weight of it all, and his hands were shaking.

One hand pressed to his mouth to prevent any other noises from escaping. He hadn’t cried since the day Luffy went missing, choosing to focus on the future and the present instead of the past, but now he could feel tears burning in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

“Shh, child. I promise that you will not be forced to remain here against your will. You will not be held as a prisoner or hostage of any kind ever again. Oyaji would never allow it, and I would never allow it either. Do you wish for me to come back later? You can’t remove all of the tar by yourself, but I can give you a moment to calm yourself, if you need one,” she offered benignly. She sounded just as pained as he felt, grief saturating her voice.

“No, let’s just get this over with. There’s no chance for my eye, but maybe some of the other skin can still heal.” With that said, Sabo took one last stabilizing breath and lifted his head. He’d allowed himself a moment of weakness, and that would have to be enough to hold him over until he could get away from this castle and all of the pain it had brought him. He just wanted to put all of this behind him already.

Izo nodded and gently ruffled his hair. “I’ll treat you to my special conditioner later. Trust me, your hair will feel as light as a feather once I’m done with it. You’ll hardly notice it’s even there, and it does wonders with split ends.” She smiled reassuringly, and in a much more cheerful tone, added, “and it’s strawberry scented!”

She got to work without another word, wiping away the blood that had spilled from his neck and massaging some oil into her hands just like Ace had done. Sabo shivered as her cold hands came into contact with his overheating neck, and he had to remind himself that Izo wouldn’t attack him the way Ace had.

They talked about menial things to pass the time, and Sabo appreciated the fact that she didn’t try to figure out just what had happened prior to her arrival. He didn’t want to talk about it, and even after Izo had finished and left Sabo some time to himself, he couldn’t stop the slight tremors that wracked his body from time to time.

He’d fucked up, big time. It was only a matter of time until Ace spilled what he now knew, if he hadn’t done so already. Izo said he wouldn’t be held here, but then again, she hadn’t asked what had happened with Ace.

Sabo pulled his knees up to his chest, watching the door morosely. Izo was the closest thing he had to a friend here, he hated imagining her upset with him. The future looked bleak once more, and the most frustrating part was that Sabo was entirely helpless to prevent it. He wasn’t the type to crack easily under pressure, but in the heat of the moment, his body had frozen. He couldn’t think of what to do next, letting the abrupt change in Ace’s demeanor get to his head.

It was no wonder Sabo’s friends thought he was dead; he was an idiot, plain and simple. A vampire hunter unable to fight vampires was as good as dead.

Sabo buried his head between his knees, pushing back the despair rising up in him. He would not cry. There was too much at stake to cry. As long as there was still something to lose, Sabo would not cry. He repeated those words in his mind like a mantra, shoving all other thoughts aside.

The moment he gave up would be the moment he would lose everything, and Sabo would never lose anything ever again.


	11. Chapter 11

“Sabo, buddy, pal! Guess what today is!”

Sabo jumped as Thatch suddenly burst through the door, the sudden movements creating a dark black line across the sloppy sketch he was working on. He sighed, looking over the new ruined drawing with contempt before flipping the notebook closed.

Sabo wasn’t an artist by any means, but it was something to do to pass the time other than sleep, read, or think. He’d only had the notebook for a day so it was far from full, but whoever said that art was relaxing clearly enjoyed the feeling of utter rage. It was frustrating as hell that he couldn’t seem to get anything to look quite right, so truthfully, Sabo was thankful for the interruption.

“Tuesday?”

“Close. It’s your first day of solids and Thatchy has a treat for you!” Thatch grinned, setting a covered tray before Sabo. He lifted the lid with a flourish, revealing a plate of creamy chicken alfredo with what looked like devil food cake waiting in a pool of molten chocolate. The smell that wafted up from the meal was nothing less than divine, and Sabo had to cough to stop himself from drooling.

Ever since that first day with the chicken soup, it had become a running gag of sorts that Sabo would refuse to compliment anything the chef served him. Of course, all of his food was delicious, but it was hilarious seeing how desperate Thatch was becoming after only a few days of this.

He could already tell that Thatch had really outdone himself, but Sabo’s pride was on the line here. He’d lasted this long, he couldn’t just give up now! A struggle to complain it may be, but it would be worth it.

He kept his expression strictly neutral, looking up to Thatch with a raised brow. “Don’t you think this is too rich for my first day on solids?”

Thatch scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s a cause for celebration Sab, it’s not every day that you get promoted from liquids to… whatever’s between liquids and solids. Mush? We’ll call it mush. When you’re playing with solids it means you’ve grown up! Look at you,” Thatch huffed slightly, as he rested his chin on his open palm, beaming at Sabo. “My little patient is a big boy now, and you even had your hair done!”

He gave a low whistle, reaching out to feel Sabo’s hair. “Izo’s special recipe, isn’t it? In all my time I’ve known her to share her conditioner only once, and that was because Luffy was having the worst case of the frights. It did wonders in calming him down, I remember him murmuring something about berries and subs?” he mused aloud.

“What can I say, I’m just too loveable. I think there’s a specific word for something between a solid and a liquid, amorphous? Polymorphous?”

Thatch noised noncommittally, inclining his head towards the untouched plate of food sitting in front of Sabo in a clear gesture of ‘go on’. The blond sighed, knowing he couldn’t delay it any further.

He took a careful first bite, not wanting to burn his tongue or give away his initial reaction. The chicken was incredible of course, cooked perfectly with just enough spice. And when paired with the smooth creamy sauce, the dish was easily the best one the chef had made yet. Sabo was sorely tempted to drop the charade and dig in, but he managed to wrestle down the impulse.

“This sauce is just way too thick, I need an entire glass of water just to wash it down,” he said, shaking his head in disappointment and taking a big gulp of water. “And here I thought you’d almost made something good.”

Thatch’s expectant smile faded, all excitement and hope evaporating like the morning dew. He looked utterly devastated by the comment, and Sabo had to bite back a chuckle. It really was too much fun messing with the chef.

“You’re so cruel,” Thatch accused, sounding honestly wounded. “Were you raised in food heaven?! The dish you’re eating is made for a king! A king like Oyaji, like… Neptune and Kyros and why do you hate me!” he sputtered, pouting. His eyes were actually watering, a testament to just how dramatic Thatch could get, and Sabo’s lips twitched at the sight.

“I don’t hate you, wouldn’t you prefer I be honest with you? I’m only stating the truth,” Sabo said, his voice one of genuine concern.

“Just you wait!” Thatch declared suddenly as his demeanor made a complete flip, determination burning in his eyes. “The next one will be sure to knock your socks off and rock your world!”

Sabo had to roll his eyes at that. “I’m sure you will some day. If it’ll make you feel better though, I’ll eat this,” he said indifferently, taking another bite of the meal. Perhaps the sauce _was_ a little thicker than it could be, but it wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as he’d made it out to be.

“I could always just give it to Lu...”

“No no, I think poor Lu has had enough of your cooking,” Sabo backtracked, and judging by the chef’s grin, he’d been found out.

Thatch let out a boisterous laugh at the idea of Luffy ever being satisfied when it came to food. “You clearly haven’t seen him during the winter solstice festival, the little tater tot managed to beat everybody in our annual food contest. He even beat Ace.”

Sabo perked up in interest. “You mean the one held in Luciera every year? I’ve always wanted to go see that, I’m so jealous,” he moaned. The annual winter solstice festival was rumored to be the festival to end all festivals. Anybody who was anybody had gone to it at least once in their lives, but Sabo was part of the unfortunate minority of people at his age who’ve never been. Luciera was at the northern tip of the continent and Sabo had lived in the south in a reclusive village where nobody could afford to travel so far away. After becoming a hunter he’d done his fair share of travelling, but luck just hadn’t been on his side to place him near the festival when it rolled around every year.

“The very one,” Thatch nodded with a grin. “You can come along with us this year if you want, it’s quite a spectacle. The festival is is one of the few times that vampires and humans can toss aside our differences, so Oyaji makes a point to attend every year.”

“I heard that it’s because all the adults who go there get completely smashed until nobody even cares,” Sabo snickered. “True story?”

“What can I say, if you’ve ever had northern booze you’d understand why people are more eager to get their hands on that rather than each other. Oyaji loves their sake the best, he has his own personal stash down in the cellars, but you didn’t hear it from me,” Thatch disclosed in a hushed voice. Sabo simply ah’d in understanding and pressed a finger to his lips, promising not to say a word.

They’d moved onto other topics after that, and after a while, Thatch snapped his fingers. “Oh, I almost forgot! You’ll never guess what the doctor told me right before coming in.”

“Hmm?”

“The doc says that you’ve been healing quite nicely, and today we can can start your walking therapy! Isn’t that great?” he enthused.

“Really?” Sabo perked up, his mood instantly brightening.

“Would I ever lie to you over something so momentous? I even have a destination in mind. It’s not too far, but I’m sure you’ll love it.” The chef grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. “Maybe we could go find Luffy too if you’re feeling up to it, I’m sure he’d like a surprise visit from- what is it he’s calling you today? Saberry?”

“Sounds good to me.” Sabo nodded, scooping up some sauce with a bite of chicken and plopping it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “You know, I think he’s just adding syllables at this point. It’s just going to keep getting longer until it takes at least thirty seconds to say the whole thing,” he chuckled.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Thatch wouldn’t allow the food to go to waste, Sabo would be too excited to finish eating. Walking in itself wasn’t that big of a deal, his legs hadn’t been damaged enough that they were in danger of not being able to heal. It was mainly his wounds and the initial weakness from being fed so little that had prevented him from walking. But now that he was beginning to heal and Thatch kept him well fed, Sabo could finally start regaining the freedom he’d lost three weeks ago when the camp was attacked.

The thought filled him with a light happiness, and Sabo tried to ignore the downside. He was healing, and that meant that the day he would have to leave was coming soon. His time in the castle had had its ups and major downs, but dare Sabo say that he would miss its occupants. They were a caring, fun-loving group, and Sabo had grown especially close to Izo and Thatch during his time here. Sabo never would have thought it possible to feel so comfortable while surrounded by vampires, but this family had proven him wrong. Sabo genuinely hoped that he’d be able to come back to visit some day.

Thatch laughed, shrugging unhelpfully. “What can I say, it’s Luffy. Quick, which do you want: white, green, or blue?”

“Ah, green I guess?” Sabo said hesitantly.

“You got it, now finish up eating and I’ll be right back.” Thatch winked and slipped out of the room, not giving Sabo a chance to question him.

It took Sabo a moment to shake out of his confusion and resume eating. Sometimes it was just easier to let Thatch do whatever he was going to do. While waiting, Sabo moved onto the cake, happy that he could openly enjoy it without the chef’s presence. The cake was light and fluffy and Sabo was positive he’d never tasted chocolate this delicious before today. He finished the desert far too quickly, and by the time Thatch stepped back in, the tray was empty and Sabo was ready to go.

“Ready?”

“I was born ready,” was Sabo’s reply, and he swung his legs out of bed, excitement building.

“That’s the spirit!” Thatch applauded, dropping a pair of dragon slippers into Sabo’s hands with a victorious grin.

Sabo eye went wide at that, and an amazed smile grew on his face at the sight of them. The slippers were super soft and a light green color. They even had google eyes, and Sabo loved them instantly. He wasted no time in slipping them onto his feet, appreciating the warmth they provided. “Where’d you find these?”

“The first week Luffy stayed with us he was confined to the infirmary too, so we got him various slippers to keep him entertained. By day two he was demanding that we have some too so we would match. Needless to say, we’ve had an abundance of fun slippers since then, and I figured you were about Ace’s size.”

“Luffy was here?” Sabo questioned, smile faltering. “What happened to him?”

Thatch hesitated at the question, and Sabo knew he was contemplating how best to say this. “We’ve all visited the infirmary Bo, Oyaji too. He’s getting older with each passing century, though you might not want to remind him of that. Luffy’s not an exception, it’s something I’m not really in the liberty of saying. Izo did tell you that you would have to ask Ace about anything Luffy related, right?” Thatch asked, offering a hand to Sabo along with an apologetic smile.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Ace doesn’t particularly want to see me, let alone talk to me, let alone answer my questions about _Luffy_ ,” Sabo said dryly. He made an effort to wipe away the irritation though, unwilling to let Ace ruin today.

Holding onto the bed frame and Thatch’s hand for support in the off chance his legs wouldn’t support him, Sabo stood up from the bed for the first time in a week. When he didn’t immediately collapse, he let go of the bed frame, smiling hesitantly.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in this castle who hasn’t noticed. Give him time, he’ll come around,” Thatch assured. “Luffy has become almost _too_ special to Ace, if he so much as catches a whiff of a funny thought aimed Luffy’s way, he’ll be on you faster than you can blink. He’s funny like that, but we all have our quirks.”

Once Sabo felt confident that he wasn’t about to immediately collapse or fall back onto the bed, they started moving from the room. “He’s obsessive, you mean.”

There was quite a difference between overprotective and possessive, and Sabo had a pretty good idea of which side Ace fell on. He’d been about to _kill_ Sabo for implying that he’d known Luffy while he was human. Sabo wanted nothing more than to point out just how unstable Ace was using the events of yesterday as evidence, but it would only complicate everything. For some reason, Sabo wasn’t supposed to know about the hat.

Sabo hadn’t said a word to anybody about what had happened in that room, and for whatever reason, neither had Ace. If Sabo brought it up to prove a point, it would only raise suspicion from the only people in this castle who actually liked him. If Ace was willing to take it to the grave, then Sabo was too.

Walking turned out to be more of a challenge than standing. His legs didn’t feel weak per say, but his balance was off, making him stumble every now and then. His stride was uneven too since his left leg couldn’t hold his weight as well as the right, but the pain he felt with each step was tolerable.

“Now that isn’t fair,” Thatch reprimanded quitely. “Ace is just overprotective of Luffy because of- well, it has to do with the circumstances of how Luffy joined our family. I really wish our reasons weren’t this vague kid, but Ace is the one you have to talk to for more info. It’s an unspoken rule between the ones who are turned, the hows and whos are either something they cherish or guard because of the hurt that came with it.”

Thatch blew out a long breath, his hands on the back of his neck. “I know it’s a lot to ask after his blow up, but Ace isn’t a bad guy like he makes himself out to be.”

Sabo sighed and ran a hand through his hair as they approached a set of stairs. “I don’t care about what happened yesterday, it doesn’t matter any more. I just want to know what happened without everybody being vague and nonspecific.”

He hesitated at the top of the stairs, easily able to imagine himself missing a step and tumbling all the way to the bottom with how wonky his balance was. His hearing on his left side was off from the day he woke up, but he hoped that it would recover over time as well. Reopening all of his wounds by falling down a staircase would be less than pleasant, but he had to recover as quickly as possible. And it’s not like Thatch would just stand by and let Sabo hurt himself if he slipped anyways.

With that in mind, Sabo took the first step carefully, gripping onto the handrail for stability. The movement irritated the burns on his side worse than walking had, but he twisted that pain in his mind, envisioning it as the burns healing, the unused muscles underneath growing stronger with each step. The pace was slower than he would have liked, but it was progress and dammit, Sabo wasn’t about to give up on walking down a flight of _stairs_.

“And I still haven’t met Capricorn yet either, are any of you planning to tell me any time soon or am I just never going to know? All this cloak and dagger business is getting annoying,” he griped. The mystery had long since lost its luster after a full week of no answers. Either they wanted him to know or they didn’t; Sabo just wanted them to make up their minds already.

Thatch didn’t immediately respond and Sabo sighed, shaking his head. “Sorry Thatch, I know I’m not really being fair to you, I’ve just been irritated lately, to say the least. It’s not an excuse, but… can we change the subject? I really don’t want to think about this or argue. Tell me about the festival?”

Thatch thankfully didn’t push the subject, letting a smile rise to his lips as they moved on to lighter topics. “A week before the night of the winter solstice, we rent out an entire train and all head north to Luciera. What, we’re a large family, and when you add in the guards and the help, an entire train is justified. And it’s not like we can’t afford it” he defended at Sabo’s incredulous look.

“But an entire train?” he pressed.

Thatch waved a hand dismissively. “We’re getting off topic. Over the years, Oyaji’s used the festival as incentive to behave the rest of the year. Those unfortunate enough to get in trouble prior to the solstice or banned from the previous year have to stay behind and tend to the castle, and we can’t forget about Stefan! He’s one of the few family members you haven’t met yet, have you?”

Sabo shook his head, and Thatch grinned. “We’ll have to remedy that as soon as possible then.”

Sabo was not liking the mischievous glint in Thatch’s eyes one bit, but the vampire ignored the suspicious look he was receiving. “Anyways, there’s nothing quite like the festival when it’s in full swing. The merchants start setting up their little shops the moment they arrive in order to get the best spots. I’ve set up a few stands myself over the years, but it’s much more fun attending the festival than _being part_ of it, in my opinion. The party starts long before the solstice, but I doubt you’ll ever find somebody complaining about that.

“Everywhere you turn, there’s something new and exciting to try. Trust me Bo, you haven’t _lived_ until you’ve tried deep fried dough dipped in rich Amazon Lily chocolate and drowned in the purest white powdered sugar imported from Drum Island. One taste will have you questioning just where paradise has been your entire life, even for someone as culinarily experienced as yourself, mister food-heaven-dweller,” Thatch teased.

“Music from every corner of the world blends together to create this sweet harmonious sound that you can’t quite describe. The light, sweet sounds of Sky Island weave perfectly into the racey, fast-paced strumming of Dressrosian music, and add a dash of Fishman Island’s elated and lively swing, it’s just something you have to experience for yourself.

“If food and music aren’t your thing, there’s all sorts of contests you can participate in too for prizes There’s tons of drinking and eating contests, and they have some talent shows and fashion shows that they put on- which I will have you know Izo has won more than her fair share of. There are cooking competitions too, which I’ve emerged as the grand chef of every year for the past decade. And then there’s the strength contests,” Thatch chuckled and rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly.

“We may or may not take that tournament a little too seriously, it’s one of the few things none of us can ever agree on. We all but go to war to take home the crown, fights can break out at the mere mention of them. Words are said, punches are thrown, but ultimately somebody comes out on top. They have two divisions to the games, the day tourney and the night. Obviously the vampires play in the night one, but boy do those humans cheer us on. Capricorn somehow took the crown from Oyaji last year, we’re all still trying to figure out how he managed to do it.

“But after the contests, we all head down to an aptly-named travelling bar called the Rip Off and drink ourselves broke into the next day. And a few more after that. We always bring more than enough sake home to last us the rest of the year until the next solstice. Just thinking of their northern sake makes my mouth water,” Thatch sighed happily.

“And would you look at that! We’ve made it to the bottom floor, how’re you feeling?” he asked cheerfully, helping Sabo down the last few steps.

Sabo had fallen into silence, listening as Thatch spoke. He swore that he could actually see the picture Thatch was describing in his mind as if he was seeing it with his own eyes. He could imagine how all the different styles of music collided over the happy chattering of the crowd, blending into something new and completely unique. He saw the easy smiles on everybody’s faces and felt the excitement buzzing all around as children laughed and raced through the streets in some nameless game. Sabo imagined that he could actually feel the warmth of bodies packed around him in the chilly winter air, that he could feel the warmth seeping into his hands from a cup of hot cocoa. He could practically taste the ghost of exotic foods never before seen dancing on his tongue, each entirely different from one another yet completely delicious.

While he listened, Sabo was entirely unaware of how all of his previous tension melted away from his frame, being pulled into the scene Thatch was creating in his mind. He didn’t even realize when they reached the bottom of the staircase, only noticing when Thatch’s story ended. The pain returned as the scene faded, but Sabo found it much more tolerable than before. He felt like he could walk a thousand miles, all the way to Luciera despite the fact that the festival was still months away.

“You should write a book.”

The words may have slipped from Sabo’s mouth unthinkingly, but he meant them. Not even his favorite authors had ever been able to create something so vivid and real using nothing but words. “I feel good, let’s keep going.”

Thatch snorted at that and shook his head. “And give up my kitchen? No way kid, this family wouldn’t live a day without my food. I’m a terrible writer though, I can’t come up with a cohesive sentence to save my life. I am a great weaver of tales verbally, however.”

“I don’t see how you can say that, just write down what you would normally say out loud. It can’t be _that_ hard,” Sabo reasoned.

“My attention span for words on paper is worse than even Luffy’s, I highly doubt I would ever be able to make it past page one in my lifetime.”

“Someone should write your stories down for you then,” Sabo decided, and Thatch gave the blond a look of mock surprise.

“Are you offering there Bo? I dunno, writing’s never been my style, I’ve always been more into cooking and the like than literature.”

“I’m not offering anything,” Sabo replied vaguely. “I actually wanted to be a writer when I was younger, believe it or not.”

“Really? Why didn’t you? It’s never too late to start you know.”

Sabo shook his head with a shrug. “I know, I just had to reevaluate my priorities at one point, and writing wasn’t one of them. I never actually wrote anything, I just thought that making books would be cool. I don’t even know if I’d be any good at it,” Sabo shrugged. In all honesty, he’d forgotten about that little pipe dream of his.

“And what are your priorities now? If I can ask and you’re willing to tell, of course.” The chef was studying Sabo curiously as they walked.

“Now… I just do whatever it takes to protect the people I care about.”

“So if a wild boar were to crash through that window at this very moment, would you come to my rescue?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Sabo rolled his eyes, laughing at the apparently serious question. “I’m pretty sure you’re not the one who would need saving if a wild boar crashed through that window, but sure.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite brother,” Thatch beamed. “Boar attacks are a serious issue though, have you ever tried your luck on riding one?”

“I have actually,” Sabo replied with a wry grin. “It’s not nearly as fun as it sounds, trust me on that.”

“Sabo, our family has made an entire sport out of riding wild boars. We race them and see who can tame the largest and wildest one. Jozu won last season, you should have seen the thing! It was huge, its tusks were just about as big as your entire arm span.”

“Oh.” Sabo blinked, trying to process that information. “Okay, clearly I’m asking the wrong questions here. What _doesn’t_ your family do?” he asked haltingly, not quite believing Thatch was serious. Saying this family was a wild group had apparently been an understatement somehow.

“That is a very good question and one I do not have an answer to. It’s not like our time is limited, and we can survive virtually everywhere. Money is no issue, and there’s food available anywhere you go…” Thatch trailed off with a sheepish smile. “Okay yeah, maybe we have a little too much fun, but nobody here complains. Pineapple pants fusses, but he always comes around in the end. Give the bird enough liquor and he winds down,” Thatch confided with a secretive grin, and Sabo laughed.

They rounded another corner, revealing a wide, seemingly endless corridor. Servants bustled about on their way to other parts of the castle, giving the two of them a wide berth on either side as they went about doing their duties. Sabo didn’t fail to notice the looks they were sending his way, though nobody met his eyes. No doubt rumors had spread like wildfire through the castle, and none of them would be good, Sabo was sure. It was unnerving knowing that he was the center of attention, so Sabo turned his attention back to Thatch for a distraction. “Where are we going again?

“The most magical place in the entire castle,” Thatch whispered, as if imparting a great secret. “Or at least the quietest. You’ll see when we get there, just enjoy the walk for now Sabo.” Thatch sent a cryptic wink the hunter’s way.

“Is it the library?”

“And would you look at that, you’re no fun with surprises either,” Thatch pouted. “You’re like a mini clone of Marco, it’s kind of creepy. But if you must know, yes it’s the library. I heard from a little birdy that you’ve been wanting to see it, and I think you’ll be safe from any strenuous activity there while I go track down Luffy. The kid likes to take Stefan out into the yard whenever the rest of us are busy. The last time that happened they accidentally ruined Izo’s garden, it took days to fix and even longer for everything to grow back.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that there’s another space inside the castle that’s quieter than the library? Izo’s been bringing me books from there, it’s not exactly a huge leap of logic that she would suggest you bring me to the library.” Sabo shrugged as they finally reached the end of the hall where a pair of large double doors stood. “Is this it?”

“It is,” Thatch confirmed, pushing through one of the thick wooden doors to reveal the room within.


	12. Chapter 12

The library was an impressive room for sure, it was absolutely huge with floor to ceiling bookshelves every way he looked. The floor was sunken beneath the entrance level, but there was a second level balcony around every wall. Directly in front of him on the opposite wall was a massive stained glass window. The sunlight shone through its abstract pattern, tinting the entire room with warm multicolored light, creating a relaxed, homey atmosphere. All along the walls were large windows as well, letting in copious amounts of sunlight. In the center of the room was a small cluster of empty tables, and Sabo thought that he could see some more up on the second level.

It was much quieter than the rest of the castle with the servants bustling about, and the overall mood was very calm and tranquil. Sabo took a deep breath, inhaling the unique scent of old, well-worn books. It was definitely a library fitting for a castle of this size, and he loved it instantly.

“So do you think you’ll be alright while I’m gone?” Thatch asked, lingering in the doorway.

“Oh definitely. You go have fun wrangling Luffy, I’ll be here, until I die,” Sabo joked, waving Thatch away without looking back.

“Well don’t look so disappointed there Sabo, you might hurt my feelings. I’ll come find your corpse in about twenty minutes, so try not to fall off the balcony, will ya? Izo would kill me if that happened,” Thatch chuckled and vanished, leaving Sabo on his own once more.

“I make no promises,” Sabo replied with a grin once the vampire was out of earshot, turning back to the massive library now available to him in its entirety. He hardly knew where to begin, so he decided on a direction at random and began wandering through the maze of shelves. He skimmed the titles of the books as he went, spotting all of the authors he was familiar with as well as ones he’d never heard of before. Vegapunk, Rayleigh, Fisher Tiger, Nico Robin, Hawkins, the list went on and on.

Along the walls, he discovered that there were actual rolling ladders attached to the shelves. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was in no condition for running, Sabo would have took a running leap at one and rode it all the way down the wall just for fun. As it was, he was sorely tempted to do it anyways, so he had to force himself to walk away before he ended up doing something stupid.

After a few more minutes of aimless wandering, Sabo came across a spiral staircase leading up to the second level. Once he reached the top, Sabo immediately beelined to the railing, reobserving the space now that he had a bird’s eye view. From up above, everything looked much smaller, proof of the room’s grandeur.

The first floor had held mainly nonfiction books from what he could tell, things like medical tomes and history records. The second floor was mostly fiction books, and in his drifting, Sabo was able to find all of the bedtime stories he’d loved reading as a kid as well as others that he hadn’t even realized were ever written down.

Eventually, Sabo came across a bookshelf that was mostly empty. He picked up one of the few remaining books and skimmed it curiously, wondering why somebody had taken them all. It was a book on human anatomy, and glancing at the other titles, the rest of the books that should have been on this shelf probably concerned humans as well.

Sabo frowned, looking over the nearby shelves, but the empty section appeared to be the only one on humans. Everything was meticulously organized from what he could tell, Sabo would be surprised if there was another section on humans somewhere out there. Surely these couldn’t be the only books on humans in the entire library, but then again, this was a castle inhabited by vampires. All they really needed to know when it came to humans was their military movements and how best to counter them.

Sabo placed the book back on the shelf and continued his meandering, not particularly afraid of getting lost. Slowly, he became aware of hushed voices coming from the back corner of the room, and Sabo began making his towards them. He hadn’t thought anybody else was in here, he hadn’t heard any sounds at all despite the amazing acoustics the room must have. But with how temperamental his hearing had been lately, it wasn’t too surprising he hadn’t been able to pick it up from all the way at the door.

“ _Sabo_ is still too injured to leave.”

Sabo stopped. Somebody was talking about him, and never one able to resist listening into conversations where he was the subject, Sabo quietly moved closer so he could hear just what was being said about him. He recognized Marco’s voice, and he caught the tail end of his sentence, something about ‘hating him’.

“I don’t care if he has a name or not!” a snappy voice replied, one Sabo immediately recognized as Ace’s. He frowned with half a mind to just walk away then and there. He didn’t need to stand here and listen to Ace insult and accuse him. On the other hand, this would be a good opportunity to get some inside information on just why Ace hated him and what he’d managed to figure out so far.

“He’s bad news Marco, and none of you care to look at that. He was a _hunter_ , need I remind any of you of that? Of what people like him have done to us? He’s smart, I’ll give him that much, letting all of you dote on him and nurse him back to health before he goes through with whatever plot he has brewing.” Sabo rolled his eyes at that. He’d known Ace didn’t like him, but he was making Sabo sound like some evil mastermind.

Ace continued, and Sabo moved a little closer to hear better. “-that doesn’t mean that the universe was right. For all we know, this is some big cosmic joke, one where one or all of us ends up being the lifeless punchline. And if he chooses to stay here-”

A pause. “I am not not avoiding him, I am simply choosing not to be in his presence because I can’t stand being so close to him. He looks at us with the same contempt as the others you know, he’s not going to stay. And in the extremely off chance that he _does_ choose to become a vampire, I will continue to steer clear of him. He could use that as an advantage over us, don’t be so quick to offer him the chance to overpower us, Marc. The human will always be one of them. He will _never_ be a part of my family.”

Another pause. “He’s not even that bad off, he can survive out there on his own. He’s already walking, so why can’t he just leave already? There’s no bears in a ten mile radius, I’m sure he could find another human from here to there and just go back to wherever he came from.”

Sabo blew out a breath, hardly believing his ears. Couldn’t Ace see that he was being absolutely ridiculous? Sabo had just today been allowed to walk, leaving the castle to return to the hunters in just a few days was enough of a stretch. To just kick him out into the forest now would do nothing less than kill him.

“Your points are valid of course, but you can’t presume to know somebody you refuse to talk to, yoi,” Marco spoke up. “I’ve only met him a couple times myself, but even I can see that he means no harm despite the fact that he’s a hunter. Izo didn’t feel any bad will from him towards us other than mistrust and anger, but is that really unusual considering what we put him through? Or do you think that this human is so clever that he somehow knows to hide his emotions?”

When Ace didn’t answer, Marco continued. “That’s what avoiding _is_ , Ace. But even if he does try and attack us, do you think that we wouldn’t easily be able to take him down? Even as a vampire he would still be a fledgling, he couldn’t possibly be stronger than everybody in the family. We would easily be able to handle him, yoi.”

A shiver crawled up Sabo’s spine at the threat despite his initial surprise at Marco of all people defending him. He’d seen Marco the least out of all of the family members and yet Sabo had somehow made a good enough impression that the heir was willing to disagree with his own brother about it.

At the same time, Sabo couldn’t help but feel that these vampires were underestimating him. He may be injured, but he’d spent practically all of his life learning how to take down vampires.

“I put him through that because he was a danger to Luffy at the time, and he still is!” Ace insisted, voice turning grumpy. “All of you think that I hate him because he’s human, and while I admit that makes him my least favorite person in the castle, it’s more than that. I _know_ he isn’t good for Luffy, and I’m afraid that he’ll be the reason that Luffy regresses back to how he was when he first came here. Afraid, teetering on the edge of despair and brokenness, can you blame me for wanting what’s best for Lu? I refuse to risk him and everything that he’s come to forget because this human refuses to go away. I’m being asked to choose between Luffy’s happiness and my own peace of mind because of whatever sick joke this is. Does anybody really need to think twice on which answer is best? Luffy matters more than him, he will _always_ matter more than him.”

Sabo tried not to take Ace’s words to heart, but it was difficult. Sabo had never been the type to expect or even want everybody to love him, but it was discouraging to hear just how badly Ace wanted him gone. And then there was the matter of Sabo apparently being a danger to Luffy.

Ace sounded completely serious as he talked about the child, the ire in his voice replaced with genuine concern. Ace was closer to Luffy than anybody else in this castle, if there was anybody who would notice something wrong with Luffy, surely it would be Ace. The circumstances surrounding Luffy’s arrival were shady and unclear, but from what little information Sabo had been able to procure, it had not been a happy, cheerful event.

Something had happened to Luffy when he disappeared that day, something bad, and Sabo didn’t know what it was or how to fix it.

“-even capable of being so gentle. Marco, it was incredible, exhilarating even, but then he let himself slip, and I can’t forgive him for that. I can feel the closeness we share, but I won’t give in to it at the cost of Luffy’s smile.”

Sabo shook his head, brows furrowed. He’d missed a part of the conversation, were they still even talking about him?

“But what did he _say_? It’s the one thing I don’t understand, yoi. You’re withholding information that you could use to your advantage, why?”

“He said everything he needed to. You’re the puzzle master, why don’t you tell me? Pull yourself out of his charisma or charm or whatever you want to call it and see for yourself that he’s not the cute little goldilocks everybody here wants him to be. He and I might be bound until the end of his days, but that does _not_ mean he’s right for this family.”

Ace’s words were determined, resolute. He’d spoken clearly and firmly, there was no reasonable way for Sabo to have misheard them. But then why weren’t his words making sense any more? What did he mean by bound?

“I can’t say why, I won’t say until a decision is made. If I say his crime now, it could potentially backfire and reach Luffy somehow, I need to know if he plans to stay or leave. If he leaves then we’re rid of him and Luffy will never know, but If he chooses to stay, we risk Luffy remembering him, and that is what I will not allow.”

Sabo was fairly certain Ace was still talking about him; goldilocks had been a dead giveaway as there was nobody else in this castle with blonde hair except for Marco. Suddenly, Sabo took an automatic step back as Ace’s words connected in his mind like rapid-fire, shock overcoming all other emotions.

Nobody wanted to tell Sabo who Capricorn was because he’d already met him. Ace and Capricorn, Capricorn and Ace, they were one and the same. These vampires thought that he was bonded soulmates with the only vampire in this castle that openly despised him? What kind of sick, twisted joke was that?

“I spent _every day_ wishing that I wasn’t one of them! I want to be nothing like them! Not in blood or life or anything!” Ace snarled, his words punctuated with a sharp bang, making Sabo jump. His voice rose over the bookshelves, a stark contrast from the quiet the room had held before. His words carried anger and betrayal, and Sabo almost panicked as he thought he heard Ace move in his direction. He flattened himself against a bookcase, praying he wouldn’t be caught.

“If they were so quick to turn on one of their own, then what is to stop one of them from turning on us? I admitted my initial distrust came from the fact that he was human, but what you have seen is not what I have seen. What you have heard is not what I’ve heard. This is an us versus him, and he will leave either by his own accord or by _mine_. I appreciate your help Marco, I really do. I’m not expecting you to know what this is all about or to figure anything out for me, I just need more time.”

Ace’s anger suddenly made a lot more sense, and Sabo could feel his own anger rising as well. Were they _serious_ about this? Nice as everybody in this castle was, clearly they’d all gone insane at some point, it was the only explanation Sabo could think of.

“I’m sorry, okay? I don’t mean to take my frustrations out on you, but my emotions have been all over the place since this whole thing began. Just don’t let Luffy visit him alone Marco, please.” Ace spoke again, his voice apologetic and pleading. “I’m tired, I’m going to go catch a nap before Luffy figures out that I didn’t go hunting after all.”

Marco said nothing, but Sabo guessed that he nodded. Ace thankfully left in a different direction from where Sabo was standing, but the hunter waited a full minute before silently slipping away as well. Any noise he might have made was disguised by the sudden commotion coming from the front of the library, so Sabo considered his getaway successful.

He made his way over to the balcony, easily spotting Luffy and a dog racing through the endless bookshelves on the floor below. Luffy noticed his appearance immediately, and Sabo waved with a smile, pushing the conversation he’d overheard to the back of his mind. It lingered with him for the rest of the day though, and the more Sabo thought on it, the more convinced he became that he needed to leave as soon as possible.

It wasn’t just about needing to return before he was declared MIA or because Ace didn’t like him, or even because this castle was filled with vampires any more. Luffy was here, and that was the biggest reason that Sabo needed to get out as soon as possible. Luffy didn’t remember Sabo at all, so in the end, Sabo would be the only one who would be hurt by his leaving. Luffy would soon forget his Yeti friend again, and he’d be safe here with his new father and family. It burned to think that he would have to lose him a second time, made worse by the fact that Sabo wasn’t only losing Luffy, he was willingly giving him up. But Sabo was determined to do whatever it took to protect the child, even at his own expense. Sabo wasn’t going to fail Luffy twice by bringing back painful memories that he was clearly better off without.

He wouldn’t fail Luffy ever again.

* * *

 

_A few days later._

Ace sighed, his irritated gaze sweeping once more to Izo. “Are you really going to tail me for the rest of the night? I’m not going to be doing anything other than bug the Pineapple for the next four hours or so, there’s nothing to see.”

Izo merely smiled and waved a hand dismissively. “I’m only walking in the same direction as you for now. But now that you mention it, care to let me know what you’ve been up to? I haven’t seen you around much lately.”

Ace rolled his eyes upwards. “I’ve been helping the Pineapple, excuse me for trying to be more helpful. Right, Marco? Tell her how much I’ve been helping you,” Ace said, turning to the blond on his other side. Both were carrying large stacks of papers; evidently Ace had decided to start helping the heir out with some of his responsibilities.

“You have, yoi. It’s especially nice when you sit there and do nothing for hours on end,” Marco agreed, an easy smile on his face that made Izo chuckle.

“Thus my point is proven. Sitting around and doing nothing with Marco is hardly being productive with this whole situation.”

Ace’s pout twisted into a frown. He shifted the stack of papers in his arms so a hand could absently rub at his hip.“I’m not visiting him Izo, I get enough of him as it is.”

“And I still fail to see the reason as to why, shouldn’t the opposite effect be happening, Marco?”

“None of our sources talk about the link being between a human and a vampire. The myth’s origins are human after all, they wouldn’t write stories about uniting with the enemy. But yes, the general idea I’ve been getting is that the longer the two souls are connected, the more they want to be together. There’s a possibility that it’s simply because they’re getting to know each other, however.”

“All myths are built on truth, however,” Izo hummed, taking note of how Ace was decisively ignoring their conversation, attention focused back on the stack of papers in his hands. “But there is also a possibility that one of those humans in the myths is actually a vampire. The humans used to be less afraid of us, and we were harder to detect and differentiate. If this theory has some truth, then we could safely assume that the link would be the same between Ace and Sabo. It’s been about a week since you two were last together, how are you feeling, Ace?”

“Marco, she’s doing it again. You’re supposed to be the only fussing mother here,” Ace grumbled. “And stop talking about me like I’m not here. I’m fine and I don’t miss him in the least, why won’t you believe me on that?”

“There’s a difference between talking like you aren’t here and knowing that you’re not going to give any input regardless,” Marco pointed out. “We’re only trying to understand what’s happening, yoi. Can you blame us for being curious about something we don’t understand?”

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”

“And satisfaction brought it back,” Izo added with a smile. “Really Ace, must you be so difficult? Sabo’s done nothing to make anyone think that he was any bad intentions, but I’m sure you’ve already heard all of this from Marco. Ace honey, I’m okay with giving you the space you need, but the longer you put it off, the less time you have to get to know Sabo.”

Ace rolled his eyes, and Izo had the suspicion that he would have crossed his arms had they not been occupied. “And what makes you think that I even _want_ to get to know him? Have you two not been listening to me? I want to stay as far away from it as I can get.”

Izo merely hummed, peering at Marco. She nodded discreetly to the limp the raven haired vampire was attempting to hide, a question in her eyes.

“You’re not even the least bit interested? There’s not one thing you want to find out more about him?” Marco questioned Ace, giving a slight shake of his head in response. Izo sighed, eyes flicking over Ace worriedly. It was good that Sabo was getting the exercise he needed in order to recover, but pushing himself this hard wasn’t healthy.

The hunter had jumped into his recovery with determination, often pushing himself too far whenever he could. The doctors had said that he was recovering quite nicely and that he would be back to proper health sooner than they’d originally estimated, but still, Izo worried.

Ace, however, shared none of her sentiments, turning to Marco with a bright, fake smile. “Oh gee Marco, I don’t know, I mean I would love to know more about him. What his childhood was like, what his favorite animal is, color, season, in fact, I want to know everything about him!” He dropped the facade. “Oh wait, no, I don’t care about any of those. The one thing I do want to know more about is the one thing that I can’t talk to him about because depending on his response, I might kill him.”

The silence that accompanied Ace’s dramatic statement had Izo sighing once more, but she was a patient woman. She would allow Ace his temper tantrum for the time being, even if she didn’t like the way it seemed to be getting increasingly difficult for him to walk. As hard as he tried to hide it, his breathing was heavy and Izo could easily see the strain in his gait. If her memory of Sabo’s usual schedule was correct, he should be in the library by now, sitting down to read a book. “I’m going to go see what Sabo is up to, I do hope that he’s staying off of the stairs.”

She separated from the pair, heading for the library. It didn’t take long to reach the room, but something felt… off. The room was dead silent, not to mention there was no trace of his scent by the door.

Izo was about to leave when her ears picked up a faint sound. The vampire relaxed, weaving through the library to find the source. “Sabo, are you qui-” She rounded a bookcase and stopped, met with the sight of Thatch sitting at a table instead of a blond tucked into a chair.

“Hey Izzy, did you need something?” the chef asked, looking up from the pile of papers scattered across his table. Izo took a seat across from him, a small smile perched on her lips. She had a bad feeling about all of this, but she refused to let it show. It wouldn’t do to cause a panic over nothing after all.

“I’m looking for Sabo, have you seen him?” It was getting late after all, the sun had set about an hour ago. Over the past week, Izo had learned that Sabo was a bit of a night owl, so she would be surprised if he’d already turned in for the night.

“No, I’ve been here for the past few hours planning meals. Is something wrong?”

Izo shook her head, standing up. “No, I’m sure he’s in his room by now if he’s not in here. Thank you for your help,” she said, sending another smile Thatch’s way before hurrying up to Sabo’s room. There was something wrong, she was sure of it, and the thought had Izo at the hunter’s bedroom within a minute.

There was no answer to her knock, so Izo carefully opened the door after a moment of silence. The room was empty though, and she could tell that his scent, while strong, was quite a few hours old already. Sabo hadn’t been in here for a while, hadn’t been anywhere for a while as far as she could tell. All of the scents she’d picked up along the way were just as old.

Izo was about to close the door to search elsewhere when something caught her eye: one of the dresser drawers wasn’t shut correctly. It looked as as if it’d been shut in a hurry, and Izo stepped inside to investigate. The clothes inside held the freshest scent she’d found yet, and Izo recognized the shirt Sabo had been wearing earlier, discarded.

In any other situation, Izo would have felt bad for snooping, but the growing worry in her chest took precedence. Just where had Sabo gone? There was only one explanation Izo could think of, and she prayed that she was wrong.

It didn’t take long to track down Ace and Marco again, they’d hardly moved from where she’d last seen them. Ace was huddled on a bench now, and as Izo approached, she began to feel just how much strain was being placed on the raven. The papers he’d been carrying were scattered all across the floor, and Ace was doubled up, struggling for breath.

“Marco! Ace! I can’t find Sabo, he wasn’t in the library and he hasn’t been in his room for at least a few hours. I can’t think of anywhere else he would be unless he’s outside, but where would he be going this late at night?”

Marco cursed under his breath, and Ace’s head shot up in alarm at her words. His panicked eyes met Izo’s for a moment before unfocusing slightly. “...Lu? Where’s Luffy?” he wheezed.

Izo pressed a hand to Ace’s sweat slicked hair in reassurance. “Breathe dear, Luffy is fine. He’s treasure hunting with Haruta and Jozu, I saw them all twenty minutes ago. Sabo left long before then.” Ace’s shoulders dropped in clear relief.

Izo’s lips pressed together as she continued brushing back the raven hair. “Ace, what do you feel? Is it cold where Sabo is?” she questioned, and Ace shook his head.

“I don’t know… no, yes… maybe, but Luffy is safe. Just let him go.”

“So he’s left the castle,” Marco murmured. Izo easily recognized his tone as the one her brother got whenever he was trying to figure something out. “There’s not another hunter camp around for miles, and there’s no way he’ll be able to hike down the mountain in his current condition, yoi.”

Marco crouched down in front of Ace with Izo, trying to hold his brother’s attention. “Ace, he could quite easily kill himself at this rate. We need you to tell us what you’re feeling, yoi. Please, let us help you so you don’t have to suffer needlessly.”

Ace’s eyes squeezed shut tightly before opening again, and he swallowed thickly. “The books... they said that close distance is what activated the link. Distance could break it again, let him go Marco,” he huffed, and Izo narrowed her eyes at the younger male.

“This is not the time to be difficult Ace, we’re risking both you and him by letting him do this. If he’s scaling down the steep mountain at _night_ , he will not make it, that much is a guarantee.”

“He’s gone. He made his choice. Luffy is safe, just let the hunter-” Ace coughed heavily, holding onto his side as pain crossed his face. “Give him one or two more hours and he’ll be out of our hair.”

“You knew he was planning to leave,” Marco stated, and when Ace didn’t deny the fact, Izo could feel Marco’s determination grow. “You’re right, Sabo’s made his choice. And now we’re making ours, yoi. We aren’t going to sit here and watch you suffer, it goes against everything we stand for as a family.”

He turned to Izo. “Izo, can you track him down? I know we agreed not to keep him here against his will, but it’s too soon for him to be leaving. I refuse to let him die while under our care, yoi. Bring him back however you can, willing or not.”

It wasn’t often that Marco gave an order, but Izo recognized one when she heard it. Not that she had any qualms with what she’d been tasked with, she’d been about to go and get Sabo anyways.

Ace, however, did not share Izo’s sentiments. “No, don’t do it Izzy. He-”

“No. I will _not_ stay here and let you both do this, Ace.” She’d had enough of her brother’s reluctance to cooperate, and it was time to take matters into her own hands before somebody died. “Stay here with Marco, and I’ll bring Sabo back home. Once I get back, you and I are going to sit down and sort this out whether you want to or not.”

With that, Izo stood and slipped out of the nearest window into the night, leaving the castle behind with senses on high alert. It would help to know how long ago Sabo had left, but Izo was confident in her tracking ability and it was only a matter of time until she found him.

The temperature was dropping quickly, and even if it didn’t bother Izo much, she knew the cold would hit Sabo much harder. Golden eyes flashes under the moonlight as Izo launched herself off another tree branch. She _had_ to find him, and soon.


	13. Chapter 13

“Damn,” Sabo wheezed, his burning lungs unable to take in enough oxygen.

He rubbed his face tiredly for the umpteenth time, allowing himself only the shortest of breaks resting against a tree before pressing forward again. He needed to get as far away from the castle as soon as possible, time was of the essence here. He’d started out fine other than the usual ache in his side that he felt while walking, but as time had worn on, Sabo had been forced to come to the conclusion that his body simply wasn’t ready for this level of exertion despite doing everything he could to prepare beforehand.

His head was swimming with dizziness and his eye was straining to see into the darkness ahead. The temperature was rapidly dropping, but Sabo felt unbearably hot. His skin was slick with sweat as he continued trekking down the steep slope. His left side burned like it never had before, and his knees felt so weak that is was a miracle they could still support him. The only reason he was still moving by that point was by sheer will, surely.

He would have passed out at least an hour ago under normal circumstances, but he _couldn’t_ give up. Not now, when he’d barely gotten only a few miles away from the castle within the three or four hours since leaving. If he sat down and let his violently protesting body rest the way it wanted to, Sabo knew that he wouldn’t be getting back up any time soon, and that was time he couldn’t afford to waste.

The forest was alive with the sounds of insects and other night creatures, and Sabo’s grip on the knife he’d stolen from the kitchen tightened. Knives weren’t his weapon of choice by any means, but he’d needed some way to protect himself from predators.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to stay focused though, and the next time Sabo found himself stumbling into a tree, he didn’t immediately move away. While there was something to be said for persistence and endurance, running himself into the ground wouldn’t help anything. Sabo gave himself the next five minutes to get his body under control, and then he’d need to start moving again whether it wanted to or not.

It was hard to judge time’s passing since his watch had been confiscated at his capture, but after what felt like five minutes had passed, Sabo opened his eye and pushed off of the tree. He’d already stayed in one place for too long.

Sabo focused on his breathing as he kept moving, not paying much attention to exactly where he was going, other than ‘down’. Walking became both easier and harder as time wore on. Easier, as his eye had by then adjusted to the darkness of the forest and he was learning how to spot hidden dips in the ground as well as rocks and tree roots that were scattered across his path. It also became harder in the sense that his quick break hadn’t made any difference; his side still burned just as fiercely. Sabo could feel himself slowing down, but this was simply the fastest he could go.

It was frustrating how limited his body had become over the course of just one month. He’d spent years and years whipping his body into the best physical shape any human could be in, just for it to all be thrown away in less than a fraction of that time. There had been a time when he was able to run for miles on end before getting winded, and now he was gasping for breath after only two or three miles of simple walking.

It was irritating beyond belief, but Sabo refused to let the panic his lungs were trying to instill rise up. He was _fine_ , he just had to think of it as endurance training.

Despite his attempts at self-motivation, Sabo couldn’t help but loathe how weak he’d become in such a short time after over a decade of training. He wanted - no, _needed_ \- to get away from that damn castle already so he could move past what had happened there. Impatience coursed through his veins, encouraging him to keep moving long after his body was able to.

Suddenly, Sabo froze as he felt a familiar presence behind him. He’d been caught.

“Oh Sabo, stop this, what has gotten into you? Why are you halfway down this mountain late at night and in your condition?”

Sabo’s face hardened, and his grip on the knife tightened ever so slightly. He didn’t want to use it if he could help it, but there was simply no way Sabo would be returning to that castle. “Go back to the castle Izo, I’m leaving,” he said coldly, not turning to face her.

“Not in your current state, you’re not,” the vampire said gently, concern lacing her tone. “You’ve set your recovery back at least another week by straining yourself this much. Please, let me take you back to the castle, Sabo.”

Sabo grit his teeth. “No. I _can’t_ go back. There’s no time, I don’t care if I set myself back another week or month or even a year. It’s in all of your best interests to pretend that I never even existed. I’ve brought you nothing but unnecessary trouble.”

Hatred and anger curled low in Sabo’s chest, making him want to lash out. _Why won’t these damn vampires mind their own business and let me leave? It’s not like it matters to them what I do._

“I can’t believe you even bothered coming after me, does Ace’s opinion mean nothing you you? He’s right you know, I’m nothing but a danger to all of you, and to Luffy especially. This is my body and my life, I can handle myself, so just _go_.”

“I think the one who is misunderstanding me is you, I will _not_ be leaving you here to get attacked by some wild animal. You most certainly can and will return to the castle to finish your healing. Don’t you care about what happens to yourself?”

Izo sighed, and Sabo heard her footsteps approaching carefully. “Forget Ace, he isn’t the reason that I’m here. He’s wrong about you being the evil hunter he so desperately wants you to be, how can you believe his words so blindly? Never once have I felt you with ill will for any one of us, especially not Luffy. He loves you Sabo, what do you think will happen when he realizes that you’re gone? He won’t understand your motives no matter how we explain it. Do you really think that leaving now is in all of our best interests? I don’t, none of us want you to depart this way. We’re not going to simply abandon you,” she spoke softly, and Sabo’s patience snapped.

“Yes, you are!” He finally turned around to glower at the vampire. Her usually beautifully arranged hair had fallen, with strands hanging down into her face. Her clothes were stained with mud and looked ripped in a few places as well. Izo’s ragged appearance caught Sabo off guard for a moment, and he couldn’t help but feel partially responsible for her ruined clothes.

Sabo sighed and leaned against a tree, his body shrouded in shadows while Izo remained in a patch of silver moonlight. “My friends are waiting for me. I can’t afford to lounge around in some fancy castle resting, they _need_ me Izo. I don’t care what I have to do to get back,” he stated firmly.

“As for Ace, he’s smarter than you all give him credit for. He’s right to be suspicious of me, you lot barely know me and yet you treat me like one of your own. It’s utterly suicidal. And Luffy, he’ll forget about me again soon enough. There’s nothing left for me at that castle, I can’t keep living in the past.”

Izo was visibly taken aback, eyes widening. “He’s in your head, isn’t he?” she whispered in shock.

Sabo’s brows furrowed. “The only person in my head is me,” he said tersely, but Izo shook her head, moving on.

“There is nothing but mixed feelings inside of you Sabo, nothing that means us harm. You have a family in the castle, or friends at the very least. Luffy would never forget you, how could he? If he can remember a little whale he met nine years ago, what makes you think he’ll set you aside now? Your friends might need you, but what good would you be to them with one foot in the grave?” she asked, moving towards the hunter.

He stiffened, taking a few steps back. “I’ll still be alive. I won’t die. Three more days and for all they know, I really will be dead. I don’t care what happens afterwards, they just need to know that I’m not dead.” Sabo’s face darkened, his grip on the knife tightening once more.

“I won’t hurt them. I don’t want to hurt you either, but if you continue to stand in my way, don’t think that I won’t fight for my freedom. My family’s died twice already, I don’t _want_ another to add to the list.”

“But you can’t be sure that you’ll even make it off of this mountain alive Sabo, why are you ignoring that? If you were in better health and didn’t look like you were about to fall into a coma for the next three weeks, I would let you go, honestly. You want to reassure your friends that you’re alive and well? I would carry you down the mountain myself, but I can’t be sure that you’ll receive proper treatment there. Write them a letter, tell them anything but the location of our castle. Nobody will read it and it will be delivered by one of Marco’s falcons. There are other ways to handle this Sabo, just please come back with me,” she pleaded.

“The only thing sending a letter will do is assure my higher ups that I’ve become a deserter or worse, a traitor. I’ll lose everything I’ve been working for my entire life, ever since I was eight. If I don’t go _now_ , that’s fourteen years of my life down the drain that I just can’t afford to lose.” Sabo’s hands clenched into fists. “It’s already escaping me, I can feel it. My depth perception is skewered, how am I supposed to be able to fight when my aim is all but guaranteed to be off?”

Sabo looked Izo straight in the eyes, daring her to argue his point. This was a clash of wills between them, and though Sabo could understand what Izo was saying, it wasn’t nearly enough to convince him. “I’m blind on my entire left side, and these burns are going to scar permanently. On top of becoming a freak, I will never be in as good of shape as I was before. I’ve survived worse than this, or have you already forgotten? I’ve already lost everything Izo, I won’t let you take away what little I have left.”

“How could I possibly forget? Sabo, nobody is proud of what happened in those dungeons, it was a terrible decision that should have never been made. A letter is the only thing I can offer at this time, you’re killing yourself at this rate and I will not stand back and let you do this. If there was any other way I could help you, you know I would do it, but my hands are tied here. I refuse to turn away from a person in need,” she said softly, closing the distance between them and reaching to push back a stray lock of hair from Sabo’s face.

“You’re not a freak Sabo, you never will be. You can regain what you once had in strength, and your higher ups will never need to know of the letter. Your friends will know the truth. Ask them to told their silence until your recovery is finished and once we release you, you can return to them and tell them whatever you wish. Tell them we held you captive, that we tortured you and left you for dead, but do not ask this of me. Please, do not ask me to doom both you and Capricorn. We’ve lost family members as well, we don’t want to lose two more.”

“Just stop caring about me then!” Sabo shouted, backing away from Izo once more. “I didn’t ask to be saved and I don’t need you mothering me, Izo! I’m not part of your family so stop _saying_ that! My own supposed soulmate doesn’t even want me around, he can’t stand the fact that I exist! If I stay, I’ll only end up hurting Luffy, that’s reason enough to leave. Just leave me alone already!”

“No.”

“No what?” Sabo prodded, annoyed.

“No I will not leave you alone,” Izo said determinedly. “I will _not_ stop caring about you. You’re not a danger to us Sabo, leaving will cause more harm to our family than good. And you still haven’t met Capricorn, how could you know what he thinks of you?”

“I know because I heard him say it himself,” Sabo deadpanned. “I know it’s Ace, and he knows what’s best for Luffy now, whether I like it or not. I admit that I still don’t understand what’s going on here, but if my being around Luffy could hurt him, then how can you possibly ask me to stay? I don’t care what I have to do to get away if it’s for his sake, I would never be able to live with myself if I hurt him.”

Izo’s shoulders slumped with a sigh. “So you know. I won’t ask why or how, though I sincerely doubt that he told you himself seeing how he refuses to speak to you. But regardless of what Ace says, you aren’t a danger to Luffy. The reason he believes that has yet to be revealed to any of us, but we can sort this out, Sabo. Just come back with me and we’ll all sit down and get to the bottom of this. I may not know exactly what Ace thinks, but we all know he’s a highly sensitive vampire.”

“...sensitive?” Izo gave a small smile that Sabo did not understand.

“Overemotional, in other words. When Ace was turned, his Inclination leaned towards stronger emotions, and as a result he’s able to feel much more strongly about protecting us. But because of that, his anger is also much harder to control, as you’ve seen. His Inclination is admirable, but it can easily cloud his judgement at times, making him see a threat where there is none. Just speak with him honestly and he will do the same, I promise.” Izo stepped forward once more and smoothed Sabo’s hair back.

“Please don’t make me take you back against your will Sabo, don’t make me be somebody I don’t want to be,” she added softly, making Sabo pause.

It didn’t take a genius to see that Ace overreacted, but Sabo hadn’t considered that it might have something to do with his Inclination. Inclinations were strange abilities that vampires possessed, and they were completely different from person to person. They could range anywhere from better eyesight all the way to telepathy, and there usually was no real way to know what any one vampire’s Inclination was without them telling or showing it. Most if not all vampires had one, either gained at birth or during their turning, if they were originally human.

If anything, Sabo would have figured that Ace’s Inclination was stronger instincts, but now that he thought on it, emotional made just as much sense. Back when Ace helped to peel off the tar, Sabo had thought it was odd how easy it was to talk with Ace, but maybe it had just been Ace’s curiosity winning out over the distrust. Until Sabo slipped up, of course. It was like a switch had flipped, and Sabo had had no time to react before Ace was already on the edge of killing him.

“I’m hurting you regardless of whether I stay or go. What I’m doing now is simply choosing the lesser of two evils, Izo. And it’s not like I’m never going to come back, I’m only leaving now because I have no choice.”

“But you _do_ have a choice, Sabo. We should not have kept the truth from you for so long, you have the choice to come and listen to us once more. After that and your recuperation, you’re free to go, a few more weeks is all we ask.”

“Can you prove beyond any doubt that I’m not a danger to Luffy? I may not be one in the sense that I’m going to directly attack him, but…” Sabo swallowed, trying to think of how to phrase what he wanted to say. “Something happened to him when he arrived at this castle that’s so bad, none of you will talk about it. And it kills me to say this, but if just being around Luffy risks him gaining those memories back, then what am I supposed to do? Sit around and talk it out over a cup of tea? You can’t talk away the past, no matter how much you try.

“Say I agree, I come back to the castle and finish recovering. What then? I’m free to go, but go where? My friends would have moved on and my empty position would be filled already, but oh yeah, I can’t go on any missions for the first five years or so anyways until I adapt to my horrifying injuries. If I leave now, at least I’ll still have my friends.

“And if I stay at the castle, great, I have new friends and a home! But I’m an outcast to humanity now, on top of being a freak. Or!” Sabo faked a look of happy realization. “I could just become a vampire then, that would solve everything, wouldn’t it? I wouldn’t be human, so it wouldn’t matter what the humans thought of me, right?”

He let the facade fall flat. “I _like_ being alive Izo, I’m not going to stop my heart just to make myself feel better about whatever’s left of my life,” he spat, unable to help from feeling bitter about his situation. It was the closest he could possibly get to a worst case scenario without the entire family trying to kill him, and he was already partway there.

“I’ve been trying to listen for the past two weeks, and you’re only going to start talking once I try to leave? My patience isn’t infinite Izo, and I’ve had plenty of time to think extensively over this. If you say you trust me, then _trust_ that I won’t go off and get myself killed. I’m not some helpless child.”

Izo sighed, giving the blond an apologetic look. “My hands are tied here Sabo, I have no choice. You are free yes, but when it comes to this, we must insist that you remain under proper care and treatment. You may not be a child to the humans, but to us who have lived your lifetime ten times over, you _are_ one. I’ve tried to reason with you and I offered you possibilities in which you’re able to keep your friends in the loop with limited knowledge. You yourself realize that returning to the hunters will not guarantee your position back. It will take you years to regain your stance, and I apologize profusely for that. Nothing we can ever say or do will be able to undo what we’ve done, and I do hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive us.”

Izo straightened, pulling her hand back with a frown. “And with that, I must take you back to the castle, we are done discussing the matter. Hate me if you must, but please don’t fight me on this. It will only aggravate your wounds.”

No sooner was the advice given when Izo darted forward, sweeping the hunter’s legs out from underneath him and into her arms. Sabo gasped, and by the time he’d gotten over his initial shock, they were already moving. He’d been expecting her to attack, to forcefully make him go back when he refused, but this was far worse. Izo had him pressed securely to her chest as she jumped from treetop to treetop effortlessly, the cold night air causing Sabo’s overheated body to shudder at its intensity.

And with a familiar sinking feeling, Sabo knew that he had failed.


	14. Chapter 14

They were all but flying back up the mountain, much faster than it had taken him to go down, and Sabo wondered what the hell he was supposed to do now. Any of the ideas racing through his head would only result in Izo falling or dropping him, which would undoubtedly lead to his own death. And despite the fact that Sabo still gripped the knife in his hand, he just couldn’t bring himself to use it against her.

He had to do _something_ to fight back, but he knew that he’d lost his chance the moment Izo swept him off of his feet. His body was slowing down already, unwilling to be put through any more. The adrenaline rush from being caught had kept him standing during their conversation, but now that he was down, Sabo could barely move a muscle.

Sabo cursed his luck and his unwillingness to attack. He also cursed the small part of him that hadn’t even wanted to leave in the first place, crushing it down into nonexistence. Sabo _hated_ how conflicted he felt and the fact he’d completely wasted his one and only chance to escape.

It was ironic really; Sabo, the lifelong vampire hunter, unwilling to kill a vampire even after they put him through hell and back. Even after all this time, Sabo was still just as helpless to protect himself as he’d been helpless to protect his family.

His hands came up to press on his eyes, forcing back the tears that threatened to fall. His body was shaking, but whether that was because of the cold, the pain, or his suppressed shame and disgust, Sabo didn’t know.

Neither of them spoke on the journey back to the castle, Sabo too immersed in his own mind for conversation anyways. When they returned not even ten minutes later, Sabo still said nothing and quite frankly heard nothing either. He could tell that Izo was speaking, but he simply didn’t process any of her words. He could feel stares boring into his skin, but Sabo kept his face shadowed underneath his hair, hiding from the others. One particular stare was hostile and ice cold, sending shivers up the hunter’s spine.

His expression was blank though as he stared at the knife still in his hands, his mind and body reduced to a warzone. He was back. Sabo couldn’t decide whether to feel furious, relieved, bitter, embarrassed, ashamed, or any of the other emotions bubbling up.

He barely noticed when Izo set him down in an all-too familiar bed. Silence stretched on for a long time as Izo rummaged around through cabinets, most likely gathering the necessary supplies to tend to his reopened wounds. Ridiculously, Sabo began to feel the awkward need to say something. He had no idea what he could possibly say after all of that, but he didn’t want to make Izo feel any worse than she undoubtedly already did.

Ace had it backwards; Sabo hadn’t made this family care about him, they’d made Sabo care about them. Sabo didn’t know when or how it had happened, but at some point he’d begun to think of this family as friends.

What other explanation could there be for why he was back in this castle? Sabo had always been quick to care about others, and time and time again it had led to pain. If it hadn’t been for the small part of him that liked these vampires, Sabo would still be out there, free and going home.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

The words had come out of their own accord, but Sabo made no effort to take them back. He kept his eye locked onto the knife in his hands, watching how it glinted in the candlelight. The time for using it had long since passed, but Sabo was somewhat reluctant to let it go. It was something real, something he could touch and feel, unlike all of the turmoil within him. The control he had over himself was fragile at best, most of it replaced with a deep tiredness that had him wanting to give up, to stop trying so hard and just sleep after weeks of nonstop stress.

Izo took a seat on the bed next to him and began to carefully remove the bandages. “You mean about us taking you in? About us accepting you so readily?” she ventured uncertainly.

“I feel that you’re still confused about something, I’m just going to go out on a limb and guess that it’s about why we insist on sheltering you and calling you family,” she hummed, setting aside the dirtied bandages. Sabo shivered slightly as his skin was exposed to the much cooler surrounding air.

“You’re a good kid, Sabo. You’re kind, smart, and even though you tease Thatch endlessly about his dishes, you mean no harm with the jokes. If anything, you’ve inspired him to become better at what he does, he’s constantly trying to make you something that will be so delicious that you won’t be able to say no nowadays,” Izo chuckled softly before returning to the subject.

“You remind me of myself when I was your age; hurt and scared amongst people that I didn’t know and caused me torment. In the beginning I wanted to do right by you, make you feel welcome and safe. As time passed though, you grew on me. You hold the interest of not only me but most of the household as well. You’re our little brother, stubborn as you may be. I can see that you’re kind, passionate, and loyal to a near fault, but they’re the traits that make you you. I’ve only known you for two weeks, but I feel like it’s been so much longer than that. Is that the question I forgot to answer?” she asked, applying some kind of ointment onto his burned skin. It had begun to itch unbearably when it came into contact with the air, and Sabo sighed softly in relief as the oppressive tingling began to ease.

“I know I keep asking and you keep answering, but I just don’t _understand_. I can see why you would like me or why I remind you of yourself, but I can’t see why that _matters_. It’s always been kill or be killed between vampires and humans, and yet you gave me a chance just because you thought you might like me? Because of whatever this soulmate thing is supposed to be? Being a good person has never got me far, it means nothing,” he muttered.

“For some reason you’re choosing to trust me over your own brother when Luffy is the one in potential danger. That doesn’t raise any alarms in your head whatsoever? Because you ‘can feel I’m a good person’? You may know what I’m like, but you don’t _know_ me.”

Izo’s hands dropped into her lap, contemplating Sabo’s words. “People project emotions with everything they say, do, and think. That is where my Inclination lies, if you haven’t guessed as much yet. I know better than anybody else in this castle that you are a person with good intentions, and it matters greatly on the fact that it’s allowed us to trust you with leaving this room. It allowed us to reassure Oyaji that he was not wrong in offering a place in this family to you as well. It has not always been this way between humans and vampires. I know that in your lifetime and those of your forefathers, this world has pitted us against one another, but in the time of Oyaji’s youth, there was no defined line. There was no us and them, we were simply people.” She resumed her work as she spoke.

“Do you remember what I initially said about Ace? He lived in this castle for about a decade as a human, and he was much less trustworthy than you. He attempted to take our Oyaji’s life at least a hundred times, and yet here he remained. Ace is blinded by a fear that still haunts him, and it is because of that that I don’t see his reasoning. He says you are a danger to Luffy, but the only person Luffy has ever been in true danger of is long dead. So unless you give me concrete and believable information for a reason to distrust you, I simply don’t see why I shouldn’t.” Izo finished with the bandages and then moved onto Sabo’s hair, gently running a brush through the dirty, tangled strands.

Sabo blinked, honestly surprised by her reply. He’d been expecting that she wouldn’t really have an answer, but he found that her words made sense. Izo and the others had all been kind and honest with him up to now, and yet Sabo was still holding back. This entire time he’d felt the truth inside of him like a trapped animal wanting to be released, but now it had turned into a raging beast. They didn’t know, had decided to trust him, and Sabo was still lying through his teeth.

The guilt was eating him alive, and Sabo was so emotionally drained by this point that he couldn’t hold it at bay any longer. “What if I told you that I’m the reason Luffy’s no longer human?” he asked quietly, his voice hesitant and afraid. He _hated_ this vulnerability he felt, hated how weak he was, and he now knew that Izo could feel it too. It was strange, and Sabo tried not to focus on that fact.

Izo continued to comb the knots out of his hair, remaining quiet for a few moments. “You would have been no older than nine at the time, excuse me if I have a hard time believing that you...” she trailed off, and Sabo could pinpoint the exact moment the idea clicked in her head. “That’s the reason that Ace snapped last week, isn’t it? Your hypothetical question to our reasoning behind your acceptance to our family got too close to him and he panicked. _Please_ tell me you did not lead Ace to believe that you somehow played a part in Luffy’s capture.”

“I just wanted to know if Luffy still had his straw hat,” Sabo mumbled. “He used to wear it everywhere, but I haven’t seen it once since I got here. I was eight, I never found it.”

Sabo knew how confusing he must sound, but his throat felt blocked, stopping him from getting the words out fast enough or in the right order. “I would never hurt Luffy, Ace left before I could say anything else.”

Izo relaxed and combed her fingers through his hair one last time. “You mentioned something only the family was aware of. Ace must have taken it as a sign that you knew the man that turned him, and he got too caught up in that thought to ask for further details. His one track mind lead to anger, and I’m sorry for that. I currently have the hat, I’ve been meaning to stitch it back up for a while now, but I’ve been distracted.”

Izo set the brush down and pressed a soft kiss to the center of Sabo’s forehead. He slowly released the breath he’d been holding, relieved that she hadn’t accused him like Ace had, and also to hear that Luffy did in fact still have his hat.

“If you knew Luffy from when you two were children, then why would you believe Ace’s claims of your hurting him? Tell him what you have told me and we can clear things up between you,” the woman insisted, but Sabo shook his head.

“You’re still not listening to me, Izo. I didn’t just know Luffy, I’m practically the reason his life was stolen from him. I… I was his older brother. I was supposed to protect him, but I didn’t,” Sabo finally revealed, turning his head from Izo so he wouldn’t see her reaction.

“What could you have done, Sabo? For goodness sakes, you were eight!” Izo exclaimed, and Sabo stiffened as he felt a pair of arms gently wrap around him. Ace’s violent reaction had set Sabo on edge, leaving him wondering if he really should keep his past with Luffy a secret, but Izo’s acceptance had given him some hope.

“Luffy was taken by a vampire that hoarded children. Had you been with Luffy that day, you would have been caught as well and who knows what the outcome for you would have been? If he hadn’t drained you, he would have tried to turn you, and the chances of you surviving that at such a young age are slim to none.

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, Sabo. You’ve not only found your soulmate, but also your little brother who is still here in this world despite all the odds. Please do not torment yourself with what ifs and should haves. How many other can say they have been given the second chance you now have?”

Sabo’s throat tightened, mouth gaping in horror. “Luffy was _what_?” he choked out, staring at Izo in shocked disbelief. The silence stretched on, and then the calm before the storm broke. Fury and rage swirled together with despair and disbelief, mashing together violently into a giant whirlpool emotion, and as always, there was the ever present guilt.

“What could _I_ have done? Something, anything. I don’t care, it was unbearable losing him. He was the only good thing in my life after my parents died, and then for him to just be _gone_ one day with no warning?” Sabo sucked in a sharp breath, looking up at Izo wildly.

“What would you do if you lost Thatch? Or Ace, or Haruta, or Whitebeard even, and you knew that you’d done nothing to save them? It doesn’t matter that I was eight, I was his older brother! His only brother, his only friend really. But that doesn’t even matter anymore! He has no fucking clue who I am,” he rasped brokenly, burying his face in his hands yet again as he tried to stifle the pure, unadulterated sadness growing within. “I may have him back, but I’m not his big brother any more.”

And with that, the floodgates opened and everything came spilling out at once. “We met when I was six after my parents died. Luffy practically attached himself to my hip from day one, saying that we were friends now and that was that.” Sabo laughed at the memory, the sound twisted with grief.

“I ended up having to run off into the forest every day just to get away from him, but you know how Luffy is, he never gives up on something he wants. I thought he was just some annoying little brat at first, but he grew on me, and before I knew what was happening, we were brothers.

“The years I spent with him were easily the happiest of my life after my parents, but one day, he just… disappeared. Nobody saw him slip away, but we found blood, and I was _terrified-"_ Sabo choked up, but Izo rubbed reassuring circles onto his back, silently encouraging him to continue.

“I was so scared that I’d lost another family member, and when I found more blood and one of his shoes in a clearing in the woods, what was I supposed to think? There was just _so much blood_ , too much for such a weak little brat like him to have lived.” Sabo sucked in another breath, the knife falling to the floor with a clatter as he saw the scene in his head.

“I’ve carried his death on my shoulders for fourteen years, and now to find him here, alive... I know it’s irrational, but I can’t help but feel like any minute now, I’m going to wake back up in that cell and realize that this was all some elaborate dream. I don’t want to lose him again,” he confessed, his voice shaking as his eyes burned with unshed tears.

Izo’s arms tightened around him before she pulled away, running a soft hand through his hair once more. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through losing Luffy like that, Sabo. I’m also sorry that we hadn’t caught onto this monster sooner, but we cannot change what we had no knowledge or control over,” she said, her voice sounding just as pained as Sabo felt.

“But he doesn’t even remember me, I actually thought that he was a hallucination at first. He has a new family now with new brothers and sisters and a father, and I just don’t know whether to be upset or hurt or if I should be trying to make him remember me. Clearly I should just leave him be, but I _want_ him to remember me…” Sabo trailed off in his ramblings. “Is that selfish? Wanting Luffy to remember me even if it includes the bad parts too?”

Izo smoothed his hair back, smiling sadly. “No, Sabo. Luffy has repressed memories, don’t take this as him tossing you aside for us, it has never been as such. His mind simply cleaned his slate to allow him to live happily. When he came here, the poor dear didn’t even know what was happening. He was fascinated, enthralled, and just about the sweetest little boy you could ever meet.

“I could sense his fear those first few nights when he was at the infirmary, but whenever Ace stepped into the room, all of that fear vanished, and Luffy was able to smile brightly. We’re still perplexed by the way Luffy had clung to Ace back then and still does. We’d ruled it out as a sort of imprint that Luffy had developed to Ace because he had rescued him, but now I’m starting to wonder if that was never the case. Luffy has a strong Inclination of foresight, if he’d been given more time for it to develop before he was turned, he would have been a powerful seer.

“I reveal this much because I now believe that they may be something more to Luffy’s attachment to Ace. He had been inconsolable whenever Ace was not in immediate reach, but when Ace held him, Luffy felt safe and secure. The familiar love he had for Ace was something that was built over years, not mere days. Sabo, Luffy never forgot about you, not subconsciously at least. Instinctively, he must have known that wherever Ace was, you were supposed to be. I’m not suggesting nor implying that he replaced you, but I do believe that it was his way of being with his older brother again,” Izo finished, brushing her hands through Sabo’s hair.

Sabo’s sole eye was blown wide open with a hand pressed firmly against his mouth to prevent any words from escaping. Izo’s words, while rational, did little to relieve the myriad of emotions within him. If anything, it made them worse, the new information throwing everything into chaos.

Foresight was an incredibly powerful Inclination, and Sabo could hardly believe that little Luffy almost had something so potent. As a human, Luffy had always been chucking himself into horrifyingly dangerous situations, smiling and laughing while Sabo had about fifty heart attacks before jumping in to rescue the idiot. Had that been Luffy being rash and not thinking things through, or had he instinctively known that it wouldn’t end badly and therefore figured that it would be fun?

Luffy had always been different, but this? The thought boggled Sabo, and he wondered not for the first time just who Luffy would have been if he’d been given the chance to grow older. They’d only spent two years together, he hadn’t thought that their bond was deep enough to undercut something as serious as amnesia.

He felt wetness on his cheek, followed by another until the tears were silently streaming down his face. Sabo hadn’t cried since the day Luffy vanished, and now all of the pent-in sadness and anger and grief were making themselves known. He made no effort to stop them, fighting to keep his breaths from hitching but failing miserably. Shaking hands persistently wiped away the tears to no avail, and his breathing came in pained gasps, worsened by the exhaustion his body felt from the hike down the mountain.

Izo made no comment, simply held Sabo in her arms until finally, the tears ran dry. “Sabo, I think that it’s time that you find out the truth about Luffy and Ace. It may be too soon to ask, but it would be easiest now while he’s confined to his room,” she suggested softly, still working her fingers through his hair.

Sabo shook his head, swallowing thickly through the hollow ache in his chest. “No.” He felt unsteady, and knew that talking to Ace now would only make it all worse. There was only so much he could take in one day without completely falling apart, and Sabo had reached his limit. “Can’t it wait? He’ll still be here tomorrow. He won’t want to believe me and I don’t know if I even care enough to try right now,” he admitted quietly, ducking his head in shame.

Izo sighed, fingers stilling in his hair. “Do you wish not to be bothered for the rest of the night? I’ll go if you want, but if you need me to stay I won’t decline either.”

Sabo shook his head again, wiping at his eye once and focusing on the stabilizing comfort that Izo’s hand provided. “No, stay. I don’t want to be alone to think about this.”

He hated acting so needy, but Sabo had always been his worst enemy at times like this. If Izo left now, all of the anger and hatred would only come back to eat him alive. “Sorry, you probably have better things to be doing other than babysitting me. I just…” The sentence trailed off, and Sabo made no real effort to rescue the thought. “Sorry.”

Izo smiled softly, pressing another kiss to Sabo’s crown. “Nothing is more important than a family member in need. You don’t need to be sorry, I understand. I’ll stay with you tonight, and tomorrow you’ll finally get the full story.”

Sabo nodded and rested his head on her shoulder, glad that he at least didn’t have to go through all of this alone. Maybe he had more friends here than he’d originally thought.


	15. Chapter 15

Izo had stayed with Sabo for the rest of the night, only leaving him briefly to update the others. She'd been unnecessarily kind and patient with him, and Sabo was at a loss as to how he could properly thank her for helping him. But before he could even contemplate on how to repay her, Sabo was ushered back into bed, and from there it didn’t take Sabo long for him to fall asleep;  his consciousness left him the moment his head hit the pillow, and his dreamless sleep began.

Hours later when he could no longer hide in the safe confines of his mind, Sabo peeked his eye open slowly and slid it closed once more. He was glad that the sun was nowhere in sight to assault his vision with its bright rays. His eye was as dry as a desert without its help, all thanks to the tears he had relieved himself of from the previous night.

Sabo laid in bed for a good ten minutes, not quite ready to face the day, but he knew he couldn’t put off the event any more. Cautiously, Sabo propped himself up and had to close his eye again as the room reeled before his limited vision. His body ached with a vengeance after his little escapade, and sitting up so suddenly had done nothing to ease his state, but luckily he no longer felt like he was dangerously looming over a cliff and about to be hurled over the edge.

Izo was still at his bedside, smiling kindly and asking if he had a nice rest. Sabo assured her he was fine and after a few moments he managed to convince her to take care of herself. Izo left to hunt with a promise to return in an hour or two, leaving Sabo to contemplate what was to come next.

Sabo was finally going to talk to Ace, and naturally he was nervous. He had no idea what to expect; would Ace be willing to listen or would he just straight up attack Sabo? He couldn't help but be curious about Ace’s take on the situation now that he'd had a chance to calm down. However, Sabo suspected that the feeling wasn't mutual and that Ace would be less than willing to listen to him, much less partake in idle chit chat.

Sabo had clearly felt Ace's infuriated glare land on him upon his return last night, and the intensity of it still had Sabo cringing. Sabo had never had somebody openly despise him like Ace did. It wasn't that Sabo expected to be liked by everyone he met, but pure blatant hatred being aimed at him was somewhat of a foreign concept to Sabo, but perhaps their talk would change all that.

* * *

 

The rage and resentment that had built within the troubled vampire had long since submitted to the bout of fatigue that plagued him through the connection he shared with the ex-hunter. And though Ace had tried to cling onto that anger, he had found it nearly impossible to raise it from the ashes. So with a resigned frown, Ace stopped trying to remain angry, opting for brooding silence while he went over the previous night’s events.

Ace sat against the the windowsill, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. His emerald eyes remained unblinking as he brooded in silence, staring out into the distance watching the sunrise while highly aware that his sister was standing at the door frame.

“Ace, are you listening to me?” Izo asked not for the first time, repeating the question.

A long silence passed between them until Ace grunted in response, yes he was listening. Though he would rather not listen, but he had no other choice in the matter. When Izo was dead set on something she usually got her way; and Ace was no exception.

“We are no longer asking you to talk to him, we are telling you that you have to talk to him. Resolve whatever issues you have with him and be _nice_.” Izo stated with a voice that clearly conveyed that there was nothing Ace could say to change her mind, she was simply delivering the message and he was to carry it out.

“What if I don’t wanna be nice?” Ace asked, finally breaking his silence and looking directly at Izo through the clear glass’ reflection. Whatever sparking anger that rose in his chest was decimated by the pang of guilt that struck his chest the moment Ace saw the disappointment in her eyes.

“Ace darling, don’t be like that,” Izo began softly shuffling into the room and placing a comforting hand on Ace’s shoulder, easing him with her presence.

“Sabo has been through so much and still you refuse to even look at him for what he is, the poor boy has been through Hell. He could have died last night on his trek down the mountain and not just taken his own life but yours as well. The least, the _very_ least you can do is be civil. He was _not_ one of the people that hurt you or your family Ace, you have to see that. Sabo is a kind hearted boy who feels out of place and alone, in a place where none of his kind lives. Listen to him please, what could you possibly lose by doing something as simple as talking and listening?”

Ace said nothing, he had no more words that could ever counter Izo’s reasoning, not when she had made up her mind. ‘ _He feels out of place and alone,’_ Izo’s words played in his mind and Ace frowned once more. Izo said listen to him, fine Ace would listen, but nothing more.

“I will listen, but he better choose his words wisely.” Ace grumbled and didn’t have to look up to know that Izo was no longer at his side, nor lingering at the door frame.

* * *

 

Just as he had promised, Izo was at Sabo’s door, a gentle knock announcing her arrival before it opened and she peeked her head in, smiling placidly. “Ready, Sabo?”

Sabo stood at the edge of his bed, a casual dress shirt thrown on while he had waited, his muddied and torn trousers from the night before exchanged for a new fresh set. He was still on edge about the talk, but he guessed he was as ready as he would ever be.

Sabo nodded and very mindful of his injuries, walked over to the door to join her. His dragon slippers had, unfortunately, been ruined during the escape, so he was barefoot for the time being. The stone floor outside the infirmary was cool under his feet as he walked by her side, masking his frazzled nerves with a light smile; a practice he had perfected over the years.

Though it seemed to take miles to reach their destination, it truly hadn’t taken more than a few minutes for them to reach a door Sabo had never before seen while exploring the castle. He had always been warded away from approaching Ace’s door, not that he had ever been eager to meet death and intrude in the room. But now he had no choice and Sabo had to cross the threshold into the unknown.

Izo, the ever patient woman she was, knocked on the door gently and awaited a response, but when none came she sighed softly and reached for the handle. If Sabo was surprised that the door wasn’t locked, he didn’t show it on his features. Instead, his blue eye looked into the room that was presented before him.

The first thing Sabo noticed, other than the immaculate furnishing and scattered mess, was Ace’s tattooed back to Izo and himself. The moody vampire sitting on a plush windowsill and decidedly looking at anything but the open door behind him.

When it became pretty painstakingly clear that the vampire in question was not going to initiate the conversation, Izo gently nudged Sabo forward and into the room, a reassuring smile sent his way before her eyes went over to the other person within the room.

“Remember what we said Ace, I will be just outside the door, so let me know if you need anything.” Izo said in the sweet tone Sabo had come to find comfort in, though he couldn’t help but take notice in the finality and authority in her voice. The command hidden in there was something that had always reminded Sabo of a mother scolding her rebellious son, a firm tone that a child would not dare argue against.

“Sabo, that goes for you too, call for me if you need me.” Izo murmured once Ace didn’t return any words of resistance, and with a final smile the door closed gently behind her.

The silence that followed Izo’s absence was awkward and overbearing at best, but Sabo didn’t know just how to break the ice. So he stood there by the door, his tired body complaining with the effort it took him to stand. All the while, he was highly aware that Ace’s eyes were on him, glaring though the clear glass that was before him.

“Sit down before you collapse will you.” Ace muttered not even bothering to turn around.

Sabo didn't argue as he moved to sit down on the large bed, relieved to be off of his feet. It seemed Izo was right in saying Sabo had set himself back at least a week with his brilliant escape plan, but what was done was done and he could do nothing about it now.

Sabo sat on the very edge, momentarily distracted by the softness of the blanket and comforter. He ran his hand over the soft fabric, stalling for time as he tried to decide on what to say. Sabo had imagined countless possibilities of just how to approach the explosive prince on the way over, but now that he was here in the same room with him, all of his possible attempts at initiating a conversation seemed weak to him.

Time was ticking, however, and Ace was certainly not going to say anything first so Sabo supposed that it was up to him to take the first step and see just what could happen between himself and Ace. He could still feel Ace's eyes on him through the window’s reflection and though Sabo was slightly unnerved by that fact, Sabo couldn't really blame Ace for being suspicious of him and his intentions. It was Sabo's fault anyways for not trying to convince him otherwise after a certain point.

"I'm sorry," Sabo started out hesitantly. "I wasn't honest with you, obviously, but you're wrong in what you assumed about me.”

Sabo paused, taking a deep breath. It was too late to take back the words now. “Well, not entirely wrong. I did know Luffy when he was still human, but I'm not the reason he's a vampire now. When we were children, we were friends at the very least."

Ace said nothing for a long moment, no doubt taking the spoken words and turning them over and over again. Sabo knew that Ace must be trying to figure out if Sabo was trying to deceive him once more as he had accused in their previous meetings. But instead of the accusations that Sabo was prepared to hear, two words met his ears.

“Tell me.” Ace said with his back still to Sabo. When Sabo said nothing in the next few seconds, momentarily stunned by the lack of bite and animosity to his words, Ace sighed and peered over his shoulder now directly meeting his scowling features to Sabo’s perplexed ones.

“Tell me about Luffy.” Ace elaborated.

Sabo felt himself get a little braver when the conversation didn't immediately go horribly wrong. He wanted to know more about Luffy as well, but Sabo could tell that Ace wouldn't say much, if anything at that point. To get information, Sabo would have to give information first, not that he ever minded having a chance to reminisce and talk about Luffy.

Sabo let a small smile come to his face despite Ace's scowl when he thought back on his time with the boy. "Where to start?” he asked no one in particular as he let himself be taken back to those years filled with smiles and sunshine laced laughter.

“I met him when he was three and I was six, and already his biggest goal in life was to become a pirate despite the fact that our village was completely landlocked. He was the cutest toddler you've ever seen–still is," Sabo amended, too used to thinking of Luffy in past tense, but that was slowly changing with the child’s presence constantly around.

Sabo fell silent, trying to think of something else, sure that Ace already knew all that. There had to be something only _he_ knew, so Ace couldn't reasonably doubt that what Sabo was saying was true. Sabo’s mind wandered for a moment before he realized something and grinned. "Does he still remember how he got the little scar under his left eye?"

Sabo wasn’t sure if his question had managed to catch the vampire’s attention and was about to scramble for something else to start with, but Ace beat him to the punch.

"No…” Ace said softly, clear interest lacing his tone as his head rose slightly, no doubt an unconscious gesture in order to show what he didn’t want to say directly. “He doesn’t remember, but he thinks it’s cool."

Sabo chuckled, now able to tell that he'd gotten Ace's interest with the question, and oddly enough, Sabo was proud of that. "I’m glad to hear he still likes it. Luffy just stabbed himself with a knife one day cause he thought it would make him a badass," he stated simply, rolling his eyes fondly.

"The little idiot almost took out his eye in the process, the whole village was worried for him. And I say they were worried _for him_ because Luffy thought it was just the coolest thing, he didn't even care he'd almost blinded himself.” Sabo laughed softly and shook his head. “He was always doing stuff like that though, so in hindsight we probably should've expected it."

When Ace didn't ask for anything else, Sabo was left unsure of just what to add to the story. That was basically all there was to the story of Luffy’s scar.

For a few moments Sabo debated leaving things as they were and enduring the uncomfortable silence, but Sabo had not only promised Izo to try and get along with Ace, but also to himself.

With a deep breath, Sabo braced himself for the protest his body was going to give and properly turned to look directly at Ace though the mirror, even though the raven haired man was still pretending to ignore him.

"What do you want to know? I could go on and on about things you probably already know about Luffy, since you're his father now." Sabo offered, still not quite comfortable with acknowledging that someone like Ace was the one now caring for his little brother, but perhaps that could still change depending on how the talk would go.

Again silence reigned between the two men and just when Sabo was about to try a different tactic, Ace spoke up. His voice was unreadable, imploring, and flat. "Do you resent what he has become? No longer human?"

"Resent him? No, of course not," Sabo replied quickly not thinking twice on his answer.

Sabo knew that those few words wouldn't be enough of an answer though and frowned, explaining the reasoning behind his rushed answer.  "I resent the bastard that turned him, but what happened wasn't Luffy's fault. Of course I wish he was still human, just as I'm not thrilled that he's a vampire now, but..." Sabo trailed off for a moment, trying to think about how to word his thoughts in a way that would not upset the temperamental vampire.

“I can see that Luffy is happy here, he loves you all and you all love him. I admit that I was not thrilled… no, that word isn't right. It stunned and saddened me when I saw Luffy again after so long to know that he was a vampire. And I wrongly accused you of doing that to him, but after seeing how much you adore him I know I was wrong. Luffy is in great capable hands, he’s among people he loves and that has helped me make peace with it. I'm just glad to have him back."

Ace’s eyes narrowed dangerously, emerald eyes continuing to stare at the human sitting on the bed though the glass. And once more silence surrounded them until he scoffed. "Its disgusting, how sincere you sound. Don’t think I don’t know you’re just saying that so I won’t snap your neck here and now. If there wasn't such a big threat of vampires around, you’d kill Luffy with some idiotic protest of ' _it’s for his own good’,_ so do us both a favor and spare me the false sentiment."

"Well what do you want me to say?" Sabo rebutted. "' _Yes, I would love to murder my little brother because of the sole fact he's a dirty disgusting vampire and I'm a cruel vicious human_ '? Sorry, I’m not the monster you want me to be, Ace. You asked if I resented him for what he was, and I answered. I _tried_ to leave, remember? I'm not the one you should be pissed at because I'm still here."

“You claim that you still care about Luffy, that even though he is still a vampire you are happy that he lives, so then why did you take off the way you did? Luffy has no clue you even stepped out of the castle. And though I don’t like it; _he_ likes you. Did you not think that he would notice and he would not be hurt by that? All you humans know is how to hurt others. You say you care but you didn’t do that for him, you did it for yourself. You’re no brother,” Ace spat angrily.

"You do _not_ know why I left, don't presume to know what my motives for leaving were," Sabo snapped. "I have no love for vampires, but your family is different. As you have continuously pointed out, they like me for some reason I still don't fully understand. You ask why I have no ill will for your family? They've been nothing but kind and helpful since the day I woke up, so excuse me for not wanting to kill and obliterate them because of it. I’m just as much Luffy’s brother as you are his father, so what if it’s not by blood? Do you think I had _fun_ trying to descend this mountain? No! I left because I had to, not because I wanted to, and even then I was _forced_ to come back here."

"Well you should've tried harder then." Ace quipped in return and with that he slipped back into brooding silence.

"Yeah, well fuck you. I don't live to make you happy," Sabo spat.

"As if I need or even want you to make me happy. Don't think yourself so essential here," Ace snarled, his eyes flashing in that dangerous way Sabo knew meant that the vampire was becoming flustered, but still he could not hold himself back from continuing the argument.

"I'm not as self-centered as you so that's not a problem.”

It was at that point that Ace finally turned and fixed his visitor with a heated glare, deeming the comment infuriating enough to face the ex-hunter. "I am _not_ self centered, everything I do is in the best interest for this family and you better remember that."

"Well you haven't been acting that way from what I've heard. Is worrying them to such a point in their best interests? Is ignoring everything they say in their best interests?“

"The end justifies the means,” Ace’s raised voice said in a much calmer tone. “If I must withhold some information and cause a little worry from my family for their best interest, then I will do so...  but why the fuck am I even explaining myself to you? Our familial matters are of no consequence to someone like you."

"You're not explaining anything!” Sabo burst out. “You're writing off excuses to make yourself feel better about this. I may be 'disgustingly sincere', but that's better than lying to everybody, including myself."

Ace opened his mouth to retort but snapped it shut just as quickly, and with a fluid movement no human was even close to possessing, Ace stood up abruptly, stalking towards Sabo. A harsh gulp was forced down Sabo’s throat as Ace walked closer and past him, his stride leading him to the door.

"Izo said to listen and I did enough of that. So now you can leave and go back to wherever it is you came from." he grunted and turned the handle, only to stare at it with shock.

 _No... No she wouldn’t! But she would!_ Ace tried the handle again and once more it refused to budge.

"Izo!" Ace's shout shook with the outrage that built within him. "Izo, open the door! We are done talking and playing nice! Open. The. Door!"

"She locked it," Sabo realized slowly, not quite believing it himself. However, it seemed that Ace was having a much harder time accepting the fact that his sister had done something so bold. Sabo had to stifle a smile at the look of utter betrayal on Ace's face, even though he now found himself trapped in a confined space with an angry vampire.


	16. Chapter 16

As the initial humor of the situation began to drain, Sabo was tempted to stand up and try the lock himself. But he knew that if a full grown vampire wasn't having any luck, then there was no way a badly injured human would be able to open it, so he remained on the bed.

"Can't you just break down the door if you want to leave so badly?" Sabo suggested lightly.

"You think that would be all I needed, but..." Ace frowned pulling his arm back and slamming his fist against the door just hard enough to demonstrate his point. Amazingly enough, the door did not quiver or groan under the force. Despite all conceivable logic, the door stood proud and undamaged. The dull pain in Ace’s knuckles bringing back countless memories.

"My door is reinforced," Ace muttered, knowing full well that escape was at that point futile. Izo was risking a lot with placing the human in the same room as Ace and even more when she angered him, but she had also cleverly factored in the fact that Ace could not hurt Sabo without hurting himself.

Growling indignantly deep in his throat, Ace stalked in front of door, trying to calm himself while disregarding the wince Sabo gave in response to the pain Ace inflicted on them both.

"Why is it reinforced?" Sabo asked without a second thought as he glanced to the window. The sun had finished rising completely, so unless Ace wanted to subject himself to the horribly weakening sunlight, they truly were trapped in that room until somebody let them out. Of course Ace could also push Sabo out of the window instead, but the thought only made Sabo snort in amusement. If that was what Ace had initially wanted it would have already happened, maybe.

"Because of reasons," Ace grunted and continued his frantic pace before the door, his green eyes looking at every possible exit, going from the door to the window and then the stone walls themselves. The ceiling too, was reinforced so any chance of escaping upwards was out just as everything else.

"Damnit Iz..." Ace cursed again, wanting nothing more than to lunge at the door and tear at it as he had all those years before. Even though Ace perfectly knew that every time he had tried it in the past, the attempt had resulted in the same manner; with bleeding hands and still no hope for escape.

A sharp blue eye tracked Ace's every movement as he paced the length of the room in agitation. It should have raised every single hunter's instinct instilled within Sabo to even be in the same room with a pissed off vampire, but oddly enough it didn't.

Sabo remembered what Izo said about how _Capricorn_ had tried to take out Whitebeard countless times during his initial stay, and it suddenly made sense why the room would be reinforced.

"If I could hurt you she wouldn't have done this," Ace growled. "If that were even remotely possible, she wouldn't have."

And as odd as it was, Sabo could easily imagine a younger Ace going through the same motions, alone and angry after another attempt on Whitebeard's life, and Sabo's growing irritation settled some. Not out of pity, but understanding.

"Oh sit down already, if we're trapped in here then there's no point in pacing around the door like a caged animal," Sabo scoffed, though there was no bite to his words.

Ace ignored the comment and continued to do as he was doing, pacing to refrain from lashing out at the furniture and human before him. Ace’s little method continued for some time until he deemed himself calm enough, meaning that he had only lost the slightest bit of edge on his irritation. The vampire plopped himself onto the floor, sitting himself between the door and the human, his green eyes glaring at Sabo once again.

"Just so you know,I sat down because I wanted to, not because you suggested it," Ace grumbled dejectedly, needing to clarify his actions.

"Right," Sabo agreed.

There was yet another moment of silence and Sabo debated whether now would be a good time to bring up something that had been bothering him for a while or to leave the other alone. But seeing as how they literally had nothing else to do, he decided to just go for it. "You said ' _if I could hurt you_ ' earlier.. not that I'm asking you to, but what's stopping you?"

Ace relapsed into his resigned silence his green eyes glaring daggers at Sabo, weighing the near nonexistent options that he had.

"You mean to tell me that no one, not the Pineapple nor Izo have told you? I can't hurt you because for some twisted reason, the universe decided to be funny and make us..." Ace stopped himself and almost bit his tongue off in the process. Ace didn't _want_ to say it. He did not want to say it aloud; and he most certainly did not want to say it to the hunter. Coming to terms with the idea around Marco and Oyaji was no longer a huge deal, but acknowledging _it_ in front of the human would just make the entire concept concrete. Ace would never be able to take it back.

Yet, despite what his mind instructed and demanded he shut up and say nothing more, his mouth moved on its own accord, damning him to its solidity. "Soulmates."

Sabo did not let the silence take control again and gave a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes. "Do you seriously believe that too? Do none of you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" he asked exasperatedly, wondering how they'd managed to rope Ace of all people into believing in such a story. "It's a _bedtime story_ , why are all of you taking it so literally?"

"You think I want this to be true? That I want to be in whatever sort of commitment this is? I wish it wasn’t true! I wish that whatever link we have was breakable or wrong and everything is just a huge elaborate prank, but it’s not. The link exists, and the thing works both ways, right?" Ace stated rather than asked.

And to further demonstrate his point, Ace balled up his hand and landed a solid punch to his own jaw, knowing full well that it would be hard enough for Sabo to feel it.

Sabo winced when a sharp pain immediately blossomed across his jaw, and instinctively he brought up a hand to rub at the area. He could very clearly feel the dull throbbing underneath his skin, but beyond that there was nothing else, none of the additional pain that came with touching a forming bruise as it was doing on Ace’s jaw.

The longer Sabo stared at Ace, the less he could deny what he saw. The bruise was there and the pain was shared; but of course Ace’s vampirism soon took effect and the mark began to vanish, taking Sabo’s ache with it. Still Sabo touched his jaw, marveling at the lack of a mark and blood–at least none that he could tell.

Sabo was completely bewildered, to put his feelings mildly.

Sabo felt like he had just been directly punched, but that _wasn't_ possible; Ace never once moved from his spot on the floor. He never would have been able to make such a fast movement even with his vampirism. Sabo had _watched_ Ace punched himself, right where Sabo had felt the pain. He could still see a quickly fading blotch of pink on Ace's face, the only evidence left behind.

Sabo's entire body was absolutely rigid as he stared wide-eyed at Ace, who was still sullenly glaring at him. Ignoring the fact that he was sulking like a child, Ace seemed resigned, like he'd been forced to accept something he didn't want, but Sabo still felt like he'd been thrown through a loop. The stories his mother had told him once, they were actually true? How was that even possible?

"You've got to be shitting me..." Sabo breathed. It was unsurprisingly hard to believe, but Sabo had felt the evidence himself, how could he keep disputing the truth after that? There was no denying that Ace had punched himself, and Sabo had somehow felt his pain.

The idea slowly turned in his mind before settling, and Sabo's shocked face twisted down into a scowl. "Did you have to _punch_ yourself to prove it?"

Ace gave an indifferent shrug. "Even after you felt it you have to ask if I’m messing with you. I guess I didn't necessarily _have_ to punch myself, but you didn't seem ready to admit it just yet, so I quickened the process. So there you have it, we are linked and I can’t hurt you without hurting myself," Ace explained in a huff, hiding the smallest smirk of satisfaction at having punched Sabo indirectly.

"Oh yes, thank you for being oh so gracious as to punch yourself for my benefit," Sabo drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm thrilled to have received such a wonderful demonstration, truly. How long have you known?"

Ace’s forming smirk vanished immediately, and just like that he shut his mouth all over again and set his scowl back into place. An unorthodox sense of guilt rose in Ace’s chest once more and moved in to mingle with his annoyance, but instead of letting it consume him and projecting it into his body language, Ace simply shrugged a shoulder.

"Stop shrugging off my questions, asshole. I don't care about the other ones you refuse to answer, but this soulmate thing involves me too, I have a right to know. And I answered your questions about Luffy, so it's your turn to talk."

"I'll shrug off what I want!” Ace yelled and worked to calm himself once more. “Why does it matter when I found out anyway?" he added defensively and looked away. "All that matters is that it can’t be broken and we’re stuck with it, just as we’re stuck in this room."

Sabo groaned in irritation and fell back onto the bed, not at all satisfied with the answer. "It matters because of reasons, now _please_ stop being a pompous prick and answer my damn question. Or are you planning on just sitting there glaring at me until somebody lets you out? You know that's not going to happen any time soon, right?"

"They have to let me out eventually if they want to keep us alive. I won’t hurt you because it will come back to bite me in the ass, but when I’m starved... well I can’t say I won’t be able to hold myself back. A vampire can only go so long before we become ravenous with hunger, and three days is my limit last time I checked. And don’t think you’ll get anywhere calling me names, turd."

"Then we're in for a long three days. Or you know, until night time when you can just leave through the window." Sabo gestured vaguely in the direction of the window, ignoring the comment on name-calling. "Or is the window reinforced too?"

Ace nodded solemnly and continued to glare at Sabo’s still form on his bed. "In three days I won’t even feel the pain; all I'll know is hunger so Izo better be prepared for that."

Sabo let out a long breath, taking Ace's answer as a _yes_. "Fun," he said dryly, letting his eyes close as he continued laying on the soft bed, thinking. Sabo’s hand came up to feel his jaw again even though the pain was long gone by now, and yet he was still curious to see if there would be any residual… _something_.

As expected, there was nothing there. No pain, no bump, no ache, or throb, nothing. To think that such a thing was even possible, it was crazy.

Question after question piled up in Sabo's mind the longer he thought on this soulmate link. What exactly constituted as pain? Did emotional pain count, or was it strictly physical? Was the pain he felt really Ace's, or was it what Sabo would have felt if whatever caused the pain had been done to him? Had this link somehow been working his whole life without Sabo nor Ace noticing, or was there some kind of trigger?

He felt like there had to be a trigger, surely he would have noticed suddenly being in pain without doing anything? Unless Ace had been living in a sheltered box his entire life, but Sabo knew he couldn't possibly be that thick.

That particular train of thought tickled a memory in the back of Sabo's mind, and it took him a moment to pinpoint what it was. When he woke up, he'd asked Izo some questions. They weren't very specific, mostly about Luffy and Capricorn... like how they'd known he was Capricorn's soulmate.

Sabo bolted upright on the bed, ignoring how his tired body protested sharply at the sudden movement. His gaze locked onto Ace, examining the vampire with newfound interest. "You felt the tar, the torture, everything. You've known since at least the day it happened." Sabo's eyes narrowed accusingly. "I even asked you who Capricorn was and you said he was _Whitebeard_ ," he scoffed.

With newfound irritation, Sabo pinched a numb spot on his arm hard, using his fingernails. Of course he felt nothing, but now was as good a time as any to find out more about the link, seeing how Ace refused to answer his questions.

Immediately, Ace hissed and shied away from the sudden sting to his arm, clamping a hand around the assaulted area, his green eyes flashing with accusation and the lightest bit of hurt towards Sabo. Sabo grinned when he saw that he could in fact now cause Ace pain in certain areas without feeling it himself, and he filed that fact away in his mind for later use.

"That was a hypothetical situation! I asked you that day if you had ever given consideration to the idea that Oyaji _could have_ been your soulmate, and back then I was still doing research to break this thing in hopes of never having to reveal who your real soulmate was." Ace replied once the initial shock of the pinch washed away and his hurt look turned into yet another heated glare at Sabo.

If the human wanted to play that way, then by all means Ace would join in on the game. And with that thought in mind, Ace brought the hand parallel to Sabo’s good side to his mouth and bit the soft flesh. He ignored the resulting sharp sting, a rueful smirk appearing when he knew Sabo felt the pain too.

Sabo’s triumphant grin fell instantaneously, turning into a grimace the moment he felt Ace biting his hand–or essentially Sabo's hand–and added onto that mental note to _use with caution_ because damn, Ace had strong jaws.

Sabo shook his hand, gritting his teeth slightly, but the pain didn't fade like it normally would seeing as to how Ace was still gnawing on his own hand. Sabo, however, managed to push it aside like he had for the rest of his body, biting his tongue hard to get Ace to let go.

"Bastard." the curse left Ace after he let go of his hand and rolled his tongue around his mouth to brush away the pain.

"Well you’re the one who hypothetically phrased it in a way that made me think you were actually serious. You're just lucky I'm not an idiot. You even asked my opinion on Capricorn, curious, were you?" Sabo asked, refusing to let them fall back into glaring silence.

Ace, however, was not agreeing to the resolve. Instead Ace continued to play his game of silence, unwilling to admit that for even one moment he was actually curious as to what Sabo’s take on him was. So he was curious at some point, it was a moment of weakness, something he should‘ve never even considered in asking, and yet he had. Ace had let himself fall to the dark clutches of curiosity and he had asked, and now he still talked to the human. He was treating Sabo as if he would anyone else in the castle. Ace’s brow furrowed with that thought, his eyes snapping up to the boy on his bed.

"And don’t think for a moment you’ll be sleeping on the be-" his words cut off abruptly as Ace fell back onto the floor with a cushioned thud, all light, sensations, and consciousness abandoning him for the time being.


	17. Chapter 17

Sabo’s shock at the sudden drop of the vampire was quick to subside, leaving curiosity and wariness in its wake. What had just happened? One moment Ace was about to make a threat or vow of some sort and the next, he fell back and seemed to be sleeping without a care.

Sabo continued to sit there on the bed for a while, watching Ace's unmoving form on the carpet and trying to gauge the intentions behind the action. When it became clear, however, that the other had no plans of moving, a small smile graced his lips at the irony. Another solid minute of nothing passed by without incident, and it was then that Sabo slowly got up from the bed and moved closer to Ace.

If Sabo didn't know better he would say Ace was sleeping, and yet... that's exactly what it looked like. Ace's face was blank, holding none of the irritation from before, and he looked quite a bit younger for it. His chest was rising and falling gently with breaths as well. "Old habits die hard, huh?" Sabo whispered with a soft chuckle.

So Ace was apparently asleep, and Sabo glanced around the room wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. Ace had given no suggestions and Sabo was not too keen on finding out what would happen if he should snoop in Ace’s personal belongings. Thus Sabo reluctantly straightened back up and plucked a pillow from the bed, fluffing it up as he walked back to Ace and placed it under the vampire’s head.

"Feel free to wake up any time, really," Sabo muttered, pulling his hands back to himself.

Ace, of course, didn't reply, and once more Sabo turned his attention back to his surroundings, not having gotten the chance to look at them too closely while he and Ace had had their little chat, too focused on the only vampire within the castle that wanted him worse than dead.

The room was decorated in a variety of colors that ranged from bright crimson reds, to the darkest shades of burgundy, mixed in with–strangely enough–vibrant oranges and golds. The room _did_ scream out royalty, but at the same time it was also messy, though not in a way that would suggest it was dirty. When Sabo thought of the mess in Ace’s room, it looked like it belonged there, adding the effect that Ace did a lot of his living in this particular part of the castle.

The vast space looked very lived in, not unlike Sabo's own bedroom had back at home, minus the heavy drapes and reinforced exits. There was an ajar door by the back wall, and a quick glance told Sabo that it was an en-suite bathroom. On the desk there were a multiple variety of writing utensils and what appeared to be dark powder in a sealed jar, the label no longer entirely legible under the coat of the substance it contained. Sabo thought he was able to make out ‘coal’. Papers, scrolls and clothes were so far Ace’s worst offenders in trying to keep his room moderately clean, though it seemed that books were quickly becoming a new factor in the equation.

Other than these scattered items and what he could only assume were Luffy’s toys, there wasn't much to see. The paintings on the walls, however, were quite beautiful and Sabo had to wonder just where Ace had gone to buy them.

After his brief tour was done, Sabo blew a stray lock of hair from his face and returned to the bed, falling on it with a sigh. "Well what am I supposed to do now?" he murmured to nobody in particular and followed the lazy pattern of a spec of dust gliding above him.

Sabo watched the spec with unimpressed boredom for a few more seconds before switching his attention to the window. He could see a patch of sunlight slip into the room now that the sun had risen, and that brave ray of sunshine was slowly inching closer and closer to Ace's head.

While the sunlight crept towards the other, Sabo debated the pros and cons of getting up to close the heavy curtains for him. On one hand the dude was a huge prick, but on the other, he was Luffy’s main caretaker which _had_ to count for something. After a long mental argument, Sabo managed to stand once again and make his way over to the window, nudging the heavy curtain closed, and immediately darkening the room significantly.

"You're welcome," Sabo muttered, climbing back onto the bed exhausted and with no more energy to spare.

Meanwhile, Ace was stuck in perpetual limbo, neither knowing what was going on outside of his body or within. Unconsciously Ace’s body soaked in the realization that he was in fact in the presence of one of _them,_ but he was unable to do anything about the predicament _._

Out of pure instinct, his mind was registering everything around him; the warm body that was moving about the area, the beating heart that thrummed gently and rhythmically against his eardrums, the low rumbling voice, and the overpowering scent of _him_. The scent alone brought the all too familiar images to the edge of Ace’s subconscious. And with no active mind awake or aware enough to push them back, the memories invaded.

Cruel laughter and accusations rang clearly in Ace’s ears just as the shadows of long years passed danced across his vision, spewing both lewd and hateful comments. Amongst all the chaos, a pair of large green eyes bore into his, the message clear in their desperation: _Look away. Run!_ they said.

But Ace couldn’t look away, even if his head wasn’t being held into place forcefully by the large hands at either side of his face. Ace was frozen, rooted to the spot and unable to move a single muscle, hardly aware that he was screaming and protesting at the top of his lungs.

 _“Stop it!_ Make him stop!” Those five words were the only thing Ace could say, even now as he snapped back into reality and bolted into a sitting position. It was the only thing he could say and do back then, the words of a pleading child left his mouth in a torrent of fear and desperation. Shouting had no effect now as it had back when the event had occurred. The laughter continued to plague Ace, the jeers and comments accompanying him even now as he stared into the all too familiar confines of his room. She was gone once again and Ace was left alone staring at figures lost to time. She was gone and there was no getting her back, yet he still saw her every time he closed his eyes.

Sabo started violently as Ace suddenly shouted out, ripping Sabo from the peaceful state of half-sleep he'd been slowly entering. He looked to Ace wide-eyed, heart racing with shock yet again and his senses going on high alert. He'd expected to see some kind of smug and triumphant smirk or glare from the vampire, but was met with something entirely unexpected.

Sabo could see that Ace was staring intently at his own hands, looking haunted and small. His shoulders were hunched over, shaking even, and Sabo swore he could see the tears threatening to fall. Ace didn't say anything, however, even when he must have registered Sabo's presence by that point; he was purposefully ignoring him.

The scent of human still plagued his nostrils and Ace had to take a moment to realize he was not alone, he was in the company of the last person he wanted to see. Tears brimmed at the corners of Ace’s eyes and he fought against the shaking that overcame him. He had had a narcoleptic attack, Ace realized that. With many of his attacks there was always a chance he would fall prey to a sleep induced hallucination or flashback from his darkest moment, and as luck would have it, he had experienced just that.

Now he sat there, shaken and on the verge of tears before the human. Ace could feel the one visible and functional eye on him, so Ace refused to look up, his eyes cast on his hands while blinking away the film of tears that blurred his vision. With any luck, nothing would be said and Ace would be left to deal with the aftermath of the hallucination by himself.

Sabo was lost. What was he supposed to say? Clearly this was something personal for Ace, and soulmate or not Sabo had no right to be asking questions. And yet, Ace looked so _alone_ , Sabo knew he couldn't just say nothing. He could feel his own heart sinking as he looked at Ace, a sense of deep sadness washing over him. But why was he sad? Was he saddened by or for Ace?

With a start, Sabo realized that neither was true; Sabo was not feeling sadness towards Ace, nor was he saddened by him, Sabo was saddened _with_ Ace. The crippling sadness must be what Ace was currently feeling, hadn't Izo said Ace's inclination was stronger emotions? Was it possible that when Ace felt something strong enough, Sabo would pick it up and be subjected to feeling them as well? It was a whole new world of possibilities for the soulmate link, but Sabo nudged the questions aside for later, laying back down on the bed as if physically weighed down by the heaviness in his heart.

The silence was thick between the two of them as neither of them spoke. And unlike the brooding silence from earlier, this one was not settling well with Sabo. It was coiling around him and pressing against his chest, urging a reaction. As the minutes passed, the silence only got worse, and Sabo frowned as the saddened feeling had him thinking back on his own life and everything he'd lost. He could sense himself spiraling downwards because of the emotions that weren't his, and in a last ditch attempt to pull himself out, Sabo began to hum quietly.

It was a soft, quiet song, one that his mother had used to sing to him when she was still with him. The words were long forgotten and lost over time, but the melody had stuck in his mind over the years, filling him with nostalgia. As Sabo grew up, his memories of his parents had faded some–corroded by time–but Sabo cherished every memory he did have. He treasured the ones filled with bright sunny days spent in the town and running around the house, laughing until he couldn't breathe just because he was happy with his family.

Ace was aware that he no longer needed to breathe anymore, that his body didn’t need the air that he forced into his lungs, but he did the act anyway in an attempt to calm himself. He took large breaths and took comfort in the way his chest rose and fell with the action, but calmness was far from attainable. Ace _needed_ to let out his frustrations, his hand curled in on itself and that was when it began.

The melody washed over Ace and though he wouldn’t readily say it, it was actually quite soothing. Ace closed his eyes and leaned towards the sound. He inched closer and closer and before he knew it, Ace was at the foot of the bed, resting his head against the spilling blanket.

The phantom sensation of his heart beating slowed down some and Ace found his eyes half lidded as the song continued to play, lulling the shock and fear out of him. Slowly he rose his head, his eyes wary as he peeked over the edge of the bed and to the one laying on it. Ace felt nothing in those few moments, at least nothing negative towards the hunter on his bed. No animosity or annoyance, the only thing he could accurately feel was the tightening in his throat and its restrictive hold on his words, everything beyond that was… peace.

In the lulling melody, Ace’s breaths seemed like the loudest thing in the world and Ace worked on making them stop gradually. What was going on in that moment, he wasn’t sure. Whatever was happening in that moment, it was calming him from the terror and torment of only a few moments ago. A human of all things was soothing _him_ , and Ace could not find an answer as to why.

Thus he remained as he was, studying the blonde on his bed, his eyes going over every detail he could see, from the golden strands of his hair spilling over the dark red comforter to the rise and slope of his features. He could see that there was currently no emotion playing on his face other than a small reminiscent smile, as if the hunter was somewhere else and not there in the same room as Ace.

This close up, Ace could even make out the rosey tint under his skin, marking him as a human and still he felt no ill will towards Sabo despite his recent vision. Perhaps Ace was stuck in a trance, he didn’t know, but he did know he wasn’t going to try and stop it.

Sabo was only vaguely aware of his surroundings as he continued to hum to himself, too lost in the memories of a happier life when he'd still had a mother and father to care too much about what was happening in reality without him. Sabo could, however, feel the heaviness slowly lifting from his chest the sadness lifting from him and presumably from Ace as well. Sabo took a deep breath, filling his lungs and holding it there for a second before slowly expelling it into the air.  
  
After a while, Sabo also became aware of a pair of eyes on him, and the song died in his throat. He opened his eye and turned his head to look over to where Ace had been, surprised to find the vampire much closer than expected. He was leaning over the foot of the bed, his expression completely neutral as he looked at Sabo, studied him. He seemed as half-awake as Sabo felt, and Sabo returned his head to the position it'd been in before. He stared at the ceiling, noting the sense of calm that had taken over the room. It was odd, but if Ace wasn't arguing for once, Sabo wouldn't complain either.

Ace had been more than content with the silence. It wasn’t as soothing as the soft humming that was expelled not that long ago, but it was still relaxing to his adjusting senses. When the bright blue eye turned in his direction Ace felt like he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have been privy too, but the blonde had merely looked away, turning his attention back to the ceiling. It left Ace with the instilled impression of the deepest and clearest blue he had ever laid eyes on.  
  
"That song was my mother's," Sabo spoke quietly, breaking the hypnotic silence after a long moment. Ace was on his blind side, meaning Sabo would have no clue as to what his reaction would be, but maybe that was for the best.

Ace’s brow creased as he visualized the pigments he would need to mix and lighten then darken again to create that blue. His concentration was interrupted, however, when Sabo spoke softly about the song. Ace started his eyes holding an unreadable emotion while Ace tried to sort out how to feel about the new situation.

Ace despised humanity, he had done so for many, many years, and yet one of them had not exactly reached out but had been _kind_ enough to ease Ace out of the consuming terror that gripped his soul and threatened to take him under. So when Sabo said that his mother was the one that taught it to him, Ace found himself caught between his hate for humans and the unforeseen situation of this human bringing his mother into the conversation.

When Ace didn’t say anything in the following eternity of silence, Sabo began to grow increasingly self conscious. "You can laugh if you want.”

Ace frowned and ducked his head away from the edge of the bed. "I don't feel like laughing." he grunted and reached under his bed pulling out a box of paints. Once the box was open, Ace stared at the different jars of blues and some greens, thinking back to his earlier dilemma.   
  
"Why would I laugh?" Ace mused quietly opening jars and sampling a few against his skin. "I have no love for you, for humanity, but to laugh at a mother who wants to comfort her child..." Ace trailed off, staring at the blue on the back of his hand.   
  
"Never," he whispered as his own mother came to mind, though instead of the desperate look in her eyes, the green eyes smiled. "That I would never."   
  
The quiet atmosphere enveloped them again and Ace continued to play with the blues. "Did Luffy have a mom, before he was taken?" That thought had plagued Ace for years. Of course he knew that she was human by all rights and Ace had always hoped she had made peace with Luffy’s passing to their world or his death if she had come to that conclusion. What hell had that poor woman suffered when Luffy was taken from her, from his family?   
  
"What am I saying, of course he had a mom." Ace shook his head at his own inability to word his concerns. "She..." Ace paused to swallow past the lump in his throat, not entirely sure of just how to say what he wanted to say, so he just blurted it out.

"Does she still mourn for Lu? Does she think he’s dead? Has she received closure? How is she?"

"He never knew his mother, she died giving birth to him," Sabo said softly. He could hear Ace shuffling about, but Sabo could feel that he still had most of his attention, so he continued. "There was another woman in the village though, her name is Makino. She was the closest person he ever had to a mom, and after we became brothers, she was more like a big sister to me."

Sabo bit his lip lightly, thinking oh how exactly he should answer the other round of questions. "She was sad when he died, of course, but everybody was. It's a small village, the kind where everyone knows everyone, so to think that he was just _gone_ one day... the people he was closest too were hit the hardest. And though we have had time to adjust to it, we all miss him."

Ace said nothing at that, what was he supposed to say? He didn't know what to feel about the situation, much less how to express it. Part of him was relieved that Luffy’s mother had never had to go through the pain of losing him, while another half was saddened by the fact that Luffy had never met her and had been alone from the start. And then there was the thing about the entire village missing him. Luffy might not have had a mother, but he had had a family.

"Would they hate him as he is now?" The question was out before Ace could stop himself, and not for the first time, he wondered why it wasn't hard for him to talk to his visitor.

"Hate him? No, I don't think so. There are plenty who would be out for blood sure, but never Luffy's. I can't speak for everyone though, some would be sad, others angry, others happy... they've all come to terms with his passing though. If they knew he was alive, it would alleviate some hearts but others… it just stir up more hatred, and the world already has enough of that. Does that answer your question?" Sabo looked over to Ace, whose attention was towards something in his lap that Sabo couldn't see. "I don't know if that makes sense, sorry. I know I was happy."

This knowledge settled some peace within Ace as he continued to busy himself.

"We didn’t do it you know," Ace started softly. "That day in the cells, you came to the conclusion that we turned Luffy for something as sick as playing house. We didn't turn him, but you didn't believe me back then so why should you now, right?" Ace snorted softly but stood by his words, knowing that he had done his part and it was now Sabo's turn to do with them as he pleased.

"What else was I supposed to believe?" Sabo frowned. "I know now that I was wrong, but at the time... it made sense. What happened to him?" he asked after a moment. "I know it was something bad, and maybe it's masochistic to want to know just how badly I failed, but I do."

Ace paused for a while as he continued to mix his colors together, making slow progress.

"Fourteen years ago, there was a man abducting human children. They were mostly around Luffy’s age–some older, some just slightly younger. He called himself the Dollmaker. He was obsessed with the thought of youth and was fixated on children, so he hoarded them, turned them, and then he..." Ace trailed off Luffy's haunted eyes flashing through his mind. "Then he made them his puppets by breaking their spirits. He took away who they were and transformed them into the doll he fancied, adding the attire that matched their new persona.

“There were rumors in our world about this man. Things like this tend to sit very badly with most of not all kingdoms. Vampires need humans to survive and though war is not the ideal time period to be in, it’s preferable to the catastrophe that would derive from a madman stealing children. When it comes to food sources, feeding on children is unacceptable; that is something both of our kinds agree on. Most of us find it ethically wrong, and humans would rather us feed on the older populations for very much the same reasons. So when human children start disappearing and some of them are found dead and drained, you can see why things would escalate from that point forward.

“But he was still just a rumor that threatened a worse war. Little did we know he was real, and I just happened to chance upon him. I met Luffy first; he was already a vampire by that time, frail and thin, but I had thought he was a natural born vampire, like Thatch. Blood born vampires are rare, but very possible, so a little one exploring the woods with no human villages in a hundred mile radius wasn’t too unusual.

“What didn’t make sense was his talk about the other children. Like I said, vampire children are rare so for a kid this small to have other children near him… it was suspicious. And then _he_ appeared and his possessiveness over Luffy was unsettling, but I let him go. He took Luffy, and I followed after them.

“He was holed up in a cavern, more like a labyrinth though. And in a large cave within the tunnels… he had them.” Ace swallowed, the memories passing before his eyes.

“He was insane, but he wasn’t completely stupid. He masked the stench of death with that of excrement. He had buried the small twisted bodies of the children that failed the transition in mounds of decomposing rot and waste. His discarded _toys_ were set to the side of this cavern and the others were just sitting there, eyes glazed and unseeing all of them dressed in different outfits; girls in frill and lace, boys in cotton and tanned leather. Amongst them was Luffy, he tried really hard to mask his fear, but it rolled off of him in waves. I can’t sense emotions the way Iz can but the scent of fear coming off of him,” Ace shook his head needing to take a breath.

“And still he acted tough.” Ace reminisced, a small strained smile coming to his lips, “He was with the other kids reassuring them in hushed tones that everything would be okay, that someone would save them, but they just smiled like the little dolls they were and repeated hushed lines.

“The Dollmaker came back moments later and needless to say, we attacked one another. I stepped on his territory and threatened what was his, but I couldn’t let him continue to do what he wanted. The fight was bloody and seemed to take an eternity, but it ended pretty quickly. He realized it was futile and he was bleeding pretty badly from his side, so he ran off into the caves. I would’ve followed, but one look at Luffy and I knew that I needed to get him out of there. Luffy was the only one in his right mind–the others refused to follow, so I returned to the castle and after telling Oyaji, Marco and a few others went to the caves to finish the rest. From what Marco told me, they found the caves and they set fire to them after getting the children out. The fire raged for hours and when it finally died down, they found his corpse and that was the end of the Dollmaker.”


	18. Chapter 18

Sabo had said nothing while Ace spoke, instead he tried to stop himself from being suffocated by the crushing guilt that weighed him down. Sabo brought his hands up to cover his face, sucking in air from between his teeth.

"...shit," he breathed, straining to smother himself in the blanket in hopes of stifling his thoughts. He'd expected it to be bad, but that was just _sick_. "Shit, and I was-" His eyes were squeezed shut, fingers now pulling on his hair angrily. "I did _nothing_ ," he spat, all of the anger directed inward.

Maybe Izo was right and there was nothing he could have done, but Sabo still should've _tried_ , should have _known_ , should have done anything instead of nothing. That was a fate worse than death, what would have happened if Ace didn't happen to be at the right place at just the right time? Would Sabo have just stumbled across Luffy one day, completely empty inside?

The very thought was hell to imagine, so Sabo banished it immediately. "He doesn't remember any of it?"

Ace was shocked when he felt the emotions slip through the bond they were faint, inklings of his own feelings towards Luffy’s situation, and though he felt the tugging in his hair and the pain that accompanied it, he said nothing, letting Sabo get it out of his system.

"No, and that’s why I wanted you gone. Well, that was one of the biggest reasons," Ace admitted. "I could have dealt with you running around the halls and just ignoring the fact that you existed, but I didn't want to risk the possibility that a reminder of the past would trigger Lu’s memories and letting him remember that time. I didn’t want him to remember all the hurt. I'm guessing one of them told you about Luffy's inclination? It lets him see more than the present, but it thankfully doesn't work with the past. When he first came here, he was scared and so small, we were all doomed to love him, and for one reason or another he just wrapped himself around my leg" _and my heart_ Ace added mentally, "and has never let go."

"Do you really think that could happen? That just by being around him I can bring back the memories?" Sabo asked faintly, his voice dangerously close to shaking.

It had hurt, knowing that he would be leaving here without Luffy when he tried to escape. But now that he knew what he was risking just by being near Luffy, Sabo felt the need to leave stronger than ever. It was like losing his brother all over again, all the guilt and loneliness rushing back and taking the air out of his lungs with its intensity.

Sabo took a moment to get a handle on himself, forcibly reigning in his wild emotions. That was all in the past, there was nothing he could do now, as shitty as that was. And though the worst thing he could imagine for Luffy had happened, the outcome had turned out pretty okay in the end, so not everything was lost. Sabo couldn't have picked a better family for his little brother. Luffy was alive, smiling, and happy, and Sabo focused on that, ignoring everything else.

Ace frowned, emotions warring within him. He could _feel_ Sabos love for Luffy, his sadness at the situation the younger boy was in and it resonated deep with Ace's own feelings. Perhaps when they both felt the same emotions they mirrored into one another, or maybe Ace had spent all his anger on the past few weeks that he no longer had any to spare.

"Isn't that still a possibility? What changed? I don't want to be the reason he remembers something like that," Sabo admitted, brushing back the hair on his forehead as he resumed staring at the ceiling.

"You and me both," Ace snorted half heartedly and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how tightly locked up his memories are. The first few years were filled with night terrors, and over time his memory locked them up, ‘the coping mechanism of a child’ I think was what Marco called it," he explained. And much more quietly, he added, "Luffy shouldn't have to lose anymore family..." It was all he said, allowing just the smallest hint that Sabo could continue his stay without outright stating it.

"But I can't _stay_ if it means risking Lu remembering. We need to find out more about this," Sabo said, sitting up. "Maybe now that I'm here, we'll be able to find something new. I know some of the things he should remember and I know about the stuff that's important to him, we can find out just how deep the memory block goes."

Sabo refused to get his hopes up that Luffy might one day remember him, but he couldn't just give up on his little brother. Sabo had had two weeks to come to terms that Luffy didn't know him any more, but if Izo was right and Luffy did subconsciously remember him, then there just might be a way to bring some of those memories back. There had to be some way Sabo could help, he owed Luffy at least that much.

Ace merely grunted in response, neither supporting or denouncing the idea of Sabo’s stay at that point. At least that was what he was telling himself. Ace felt the shift on the bed, but made no move to glance back, instead continuing to soothe his nerves with the mixing of colors.

"His hat," Ace said finally. “You should be the one to return his hat, I bet only good memories are associated with that hat."

Sabo nodded slowly, thinking about how the last time Luffy's hat was brought up between them Ace had attacked him, but seeing it was now Ace bringing it up, he felt confident he wouldn’t suffer the same fate. "As far as I know, yeah. He already had it when we met, but he loves it. I couldn't get him to shut up about the man who gave it to him actually," he said, smiling wistfully. It was strange, smiling when he still felt everything that had come with learning about Luffy's past, but the action didn't feel out of place. And knowing that he would be the one to make Luffy smile soon was the best pick-me-up he could ask for.

His attention shifted to what Ace was doing, and Sabo became aware of the smell of paint in the room. He moved a little closer until he could see that Ace was mixing at least a dozen different colors together on a small paint swatch after trying to mix them on his hand had resulted in failure. The new color he was creating was not unlike the sky outside, but Ace didn't seem quite happy with it yet. He kept adding more and more shades of blue and a light shade of grey to it, each time only slightly altering the final color.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching Ace's hands as he worked. It was interesting to see the color slowly morphing, even if Sabo had never been much into art.

"I'm trying to figure out this color I just saw," Ace murmured under his breath and cocked his head to the side, getting a better view and adding some violets in there next.

"Who gave him the hat?” Ace asked out of curiosity. ”His real father?"

"No, _Shanks_ did," Sabo enunciated, mimicking a younger Luffy and shaking his head. "He was a sailor that hung around our village for a while. He apparently saved Lu from getting eaten by a huge bear in the forest, sacrificed his arm in the process, but he's the most lively drunkard I've ever met to this day. Shanks used to tell us stories about all the adventures he had out at sea, you can thank him for Luffy's fascination with pirates," he said matter of factly, settling onto his stomach to watch Ace.

"He had to leave when I was almost eight and Luffy was four, and Luffy got his scar trying to convince Shanks to take him to sea with him. Shanks gave Luffy his hat instead as a parting gift. I haven't seen him since, but he would send Makino letters every once in awhile."

"I’ll be sure to thank him should I ever encounter a lively drunk sailor with a missing arm. If he could see him now." Ace smiled fondly, "Bears run from Luffy now, scared out of their initial rage when he gets too close."

And now Ace believed he knew the entire story behind Luffy’s little scar, and the beginnings of the infamous straw hat. He would be sure to ask Namur if he had ever encountered such a man, this Shanks.

Sabo tilted his head, trying figure out just what shade Ace was trying to make. It was complex, judging by the seemingly random colors Ace was throwing in there, but Sabo thought he was beginning to see a pattern emerging the longer he watched. "Add some yellow? If you're trying to lighten it." He motioned to the unopened jars that remained in the box.

Ace scoffed, his tone slightly offended by the suggestion and waved the pointing hand away. "And risk losing the blue by turning it green? No. Never add different primary colors when you want to lighten or darken them. Use those next to them that have the same basis. Or alternatively, use white to lighten black or various grays to darken." Following his own advice though, Ace added a small stroke of white and hummed, still not quite satisfied with it.

"But you're already making it greener by adding green, wouldn't yellow do the same thing but make it a lighter shade of green? Just a little bit."

"There’s a difference between specs of green and total green, your ey-" Ace clamped his mouth shut and hunched his shoulders, glaring at the newfound color before him as if it had personally betrayed him to the human, all the while trying not to focus on his slip up.

"If that was a joke on my only having one eye, it's not funny," Sabo scowled in return, quickly losing interest in the new topic.

Ace snorted and looked at the swatch, his brow furrowing, "I have better things to do than to make fun of your eye. This is just the most accurate color I can make to match the one in your eye," he explained after deliberating with himself on releasing the information.

"Oh," Sabo said softly, stunned into silence for the millionth time.

Looking at it again, Sabo realized that it was actually quite close to his eye color, not the sky like he'd originally thought. His short-lived irritation dissipated, replaced with confusion, lips parting to ask just why Ace was trying to recreate his eye color, but Sabo changed his mind before saying anything. Ace actually seemed to feel awkward about it, so Sabo spared him the question and didn't press the matter. "But my eye has more grey in it than that."

Ace considered the new suggestion, staring at the color for a long minute before complying and adding the small dash of gray. He then stared at the change for a long moment, letting it sink in and a smile blossomed on his lips. However, Ace was quick to kill it where it began and sat up straighter. "Yeah that was it. It's–" he paused and began putting the paints away after setting the swatch down. "It's a blue I've never seen before. It's... um, nice. Kinda soothing."

Sabo smiled, a slight blush of all things rising up on his cheeks that he hid by turning his head away under the guise of resting it. He hated that particular habit of his whenever he received a compliment, and Sabo made an effort to force it away. "Thanks."

When Sabo was sure his blush was gone, he turned back to Ace curiously. "Have you tried making your own eye color?"

Ace pretended he didn't hear the first word that slipped out of his mouth and nodded, "Too many to count. Emeralds and golds, then add some teals when vampirism takes effect... My eyes were gray before, I've done that too, and many more for other reasons," Ace explained with a shrug, not seeing the big deal of his color mixing and blowing lightly on the new swatch before printing Sabo’s name on the back and adding it to his collection.

"Your eye changed color?" Sabo asked, surprised. "Does that happen to everyone?"

"Your heart isn't the only thing that’s affected, it's different for everyone. Well, anyone that has been changed," Ace explained and smirked. "Those who were born vampires don't change drastically. Like Marco’s head, it's always looked like a pineapple because he was born like that."

"A pineapple since birth, huh?" Sabo hummed, shaking his head in amusement. "Such a shame."

"And a bird brain just as long." Ace nodded seriously, but was unable to hold back the laughter that accompanied the teasing of his brother. It had been too long since he had teased Marco or anyone really and doing so again, well it just felt right.

Sabo chuckled as well, spurred on by Ace's laughter. "Why a bird?" he asked curiously. "I get the pineapple thing, but he doesn't look like a bird."

Ace raised a skeptical eyebrow before he realized that he had been taking up most of Marcos time in the past few days, so of course Sabo wouldn't have had much interaction with him and thus had probably not gotten to experience the wonderful fussing of their resident mother hen.

"Marco's the oldest son, and almost as much of a father as Oyaji is to us, but he fusses over us more than Oyaji. So we all came to the collective agreement that he's more of a mother hen than anything. It also didn't help his case that he has an affinity to birds–not to be confused with his Inclination–give him an eagle, falcon, robin, finch, duck, Marco can tame them all the same. He has a favorite hawk named Phoenix."

"Ah," Sabo noised, accepting that information with a nod. "What about a dragon?" he asked, grinning expectantly.

"If they have wings and can fly, possibly?" Ace considered and shrugged. "I'd place my bet on the griffin in any chance."

"But griffins are part lion and everybody knows all cats are assholes.” Sabo countered with a grin. ”It'd be like telling a rock to fetch, not gonna happen."

"But you forget that the head is an eagle, so by all rights it is a bird. Trust me, the discussion has been argued countless times, and it seems you're on Thatch's team." Ace rolled his eyes at that point and pushed the container of paints aside, stretching his legs and his arms until his joints popped with relief.

"The head might be an eagle but its body is undeniably a lion. So if the creature is more of a lion than an eagle, it would act like a cat," Sabo protested.

And after a moment he added in a murmured afterthought, "I can't believe I just agreed with Thatch." Really Sabo had nothing against the guy, but it was just too easy and too satisfying messing with him, so Sabo in all honesty really couldn't help but mess with the chef.

Ace shook his head disdainfully. "And I will tell you what I have told him countless times, the brain governs everything, without the brain you are nothing but an empty shell so without the head you have a useless body of a lion."

"But it _does_ have a head, a bird wouldn't know how to move in a cat's body so it would act like a cat?" Sabo rebutted.

Ace rolled his eyes on the matter. "And it’s thanks to the head head that makes the situation completely possible, the head is the core piece of any animal, person and vampire. So a bird head means bird brain which leads to bird mannerism"

"Okay, but how do you know it's an eagle with a lion's body? What if it's a lion whose head just looks like an eagle's?" Sabo returned grinning smugly.

"Explain the feathers then!" Ace exclaimed turning and fixing Sabo with a daring glare.

"How am I supposed to know? I'm not a griffin expert, why don't how would you explain how an eagle can have a lion's body?"

"That’s really simple if you think about it.” Ace smiled knowingly, “The person in charge thought ‘why the fuck shouldn't the king of the jungle mingle with the king of the skies?’"

"And leave out the king of the seas?" Sabo scoffed. "Rude."

"I highly doubt poseidon wants his torso attached to a lion’s ass., Ace deadpanned with mock seriousness in his tone, barely able to keep the laugh from rising from his throat.

Sabo snorted at the mental image. "Or it could be like a centaur, body of a lion torso of whatever Poseidon looks like and the head of an eagle?"

"And still it would have a bird brain, so it would be a bird I'm telling you," Ace laughed at that point thinking of Marco trying to tame such a beast.


	19. Chapter 19

Izo had rested against the door the entire day and in the following night Thatch took her place, shuffling her away to bed. It had been a risky move and she had recognized it from the start, but it had become necessary. With Ace being the stubborn brat that he was, the only way to get him to face things was either by forcing him to face them head on or to wait until Ace wanted to face them. And since Izo couldn’t very well wait for the latter to happen, she placed her bet on the former method.

The moment Ace had realized she had locked them in his room Izo had feared for Sabo and had almost taken back the action from the sheer amount of rage she could feel Ace emitting on the other side of the door. But soon enough Ace had calmed some only for fear to take its place and again Izo had almost caved in, cursing Ace’s inner demons.

But then the unexpected happened and Sabo _soothed_ the fear, whether he had done it intentionally or not was up for grabs, but Izo was willing to bet it was instinctual. Needless to say the rest of the day and night was spent with either she or another member acting as sentry and the animosity on Ace’s part dimming.

A couple of days after that day, Izo had decided to present Sabo with the gift she had been working on for him, and with a grin she knocked on his door and let herself into the room he was given Granted Sabo was still in needed bed rest but he was no longer confined to the infirmary ward.

“Good evening Sabo dear, I hope you are ready,” Izo greeted him, her smile brightening upon seeing the young blonde. “It’s pretty chilly out so to help warm you up…” she trailed off and handed over a small delicately wrapped package, unable to hide her grin.

Izo could see confusion on Sabo’s face as he looked up at her in surprise when she handed him the wrapped package. And though he was surprised, that didn’t stop him from setting the book he'd been reading down and accepting the package curiously.

All the while Izo silently encouraged him to open the package and take a look inside.

Sabo easily complied, carefully unwrapping the gift. Inside was a scarf, and a winter beanie that Izo had been working on for the past couple of weeks, both accessories made out of a thick warm light blue yarn. Izo knew were both incredibly soft, and when Sabo brought the scarf up to nuzzle it against his cheek, she couldn’t help but be proud of the smile that grew on his face.

* * *

 

"You made this?” Sabo asked, unable to keep the bewildered and grateful tone out of his voice.

Sabo had actually been looking forward this night, Izo had apparently obtained some flowers that only bloomed at night and she had asked if Sabo wanted to help her plant them. Now Sabo wasn't a gardener in any sense of the word, but it was something new to do, so he had readily agreed.

And with his new present, Sabo knew he wouldn't have to worry about being cold either! He wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled the beanie down over his wavy blonde hair, a grin on his face.

"Thank you Izo," Sabo said happily, pulling the woman in for a hug. "I love it."

Sabo could tell he had caught Izo off guard with the hug by the small nearly undetectable jump she gave, though her soft chuckle soon reassured him that she was more pleasantly surprised by the open embrace than anything. Soon after, Izo was quick to return the gesture, enveloping Sabo in a warm hug leaving him now openly smiling from the reaction she was receiving.

“I’m so glad you love it, I would have given you gloves as well, but that kind of defeats the purpose of tonight, now doesn’t it?” Izo chuckled and patted his now beanie covered head, “Any time you need a mending you know where my room is. Let’s go see to those moonflowers shall we?” she stated more than asked just as excited to get to her new plants as she was to gift the scarf to Sabo. And honestly how could Sabo blame her, when he himself could see how much she did to take care of others and very rarely did he see her doing things for herself and her own enjoyment.

Quickly she released Sabo and hurried out of the room, leaving Sabo to trail after her with a grin as he noticed the small skip added to her step as she lead the way down the stairs greeting the occasional family member or staff personnel.

“So how was Thatch’s lasagna today? He thought for sure he would get a hum of approval for that one.” Izo asked suddenly drawing Sabo out of his musings.

At the mention of Thatch, Sabo had to smile privately, wondering which answer he should give her, the same one he gave to Thatch; or the honest answer he always reserved for himself.

"Soggy," Sabo stated decisively, his eyes peering around the halls for a moment. And once deeming the area clear, Sabo leaned in closer to Izo, lowering his voice. "You didn't hear it from me, but it was actually quite good. Where did he learn how to cook like that?"

Izo chuckled into her hand and glanced around, aiding Sabo in his cautious search for any wayward chefs that may be quietly lurking about for one reason or another.

“He grew up in a large castle not unlike this one, a born noble, royal even; but nothing like them. When he was supposed to be attending gentleman lessons he escaped to the kitchens to play with the baker’s son and picked up a few things here and there. Then he went out and traveled for some years, to ‘Find Himself’ as he put it. So he learned from every culture he came across and added it to his arsenal of food. Ask him to make you funeral potatoes, your taste buds will thank you for ages.” Izo winked and opened the door for the back garden.

"A jack of all trades but master of none then," Sabo said knowingly, a wide grin coming to him once more as they stepped outside. With a sigh of relief, Sabo took in the crisp chilly air, glad that they were finally outside. He'd actually been getting quite hot under the thick scarf and hat inside the warm castle and the cooler air outside was a welcome sensation. "Also, what are funeral potatoes? That just sounds mildly depressing."

Izo only hummed with a pleasant smile. “I guess you can call him that. As for the potatoes, you will have to see for yourself, ask and you shall receive. That’s how it works when it comes to Thatch. In fact he can even make you ice cream from scratch, Luffy loves him the most on hot days for that little trick.” She explained and looked to her garden with a wistful sigh.

“So,” Izo began, “How good are you at planting?” she asked with one of the brightest smiles Sabo had seen on her.

"Pretty decent I'd say? I haven't done it in years, but there was a woman in the village that had a garden too, I used to help out when she needed it and I was free. But that's about it."

“That will have to do,” Izo smiled and rolled up her sleeves, a nearby wheelbarrow already loaded with two small hand shovels, small blossoms and plant fertilizer to top off the growing buds ready to bloom.

“There’s a dozen flowers, you can plant six of them and I get the other half, sound okay to you?” Izo asked and gathered her tools scanning the garden Sabo _knew_ without being told that Izo had more than just arranged the beautiful garden, but had actually raised it from the ground up and nurtured it as well as she took care of her siblings.

“Pick any open spot you want.” she told Sabo snapping him out of his admiration, and shuffled over to where he suspected she wanted to place the first half of her batch. “How is your eye feeling by the way?” Izo asked after a moment curiosity evident in her tone.

"Sure," Sabo nodded, scanning the garden for a good spot. He noticed one not far from where Izo was working, and he carefully maneuvered over to it, not wanting to accidentally step on any plants. Settling down and began the long process of planting the flower, working slower than Izo. Sabo wanted to do his task right the first time around and not risk ruining Izo’s garden or give her a reason to replant them later.

"It's alright," Sabo shrugged in response to her question. "The whole area around my eye is still numb, and sometimes the skin near the edges itch like hell. But other than that, I can’t feel anything." Sabo offered in explanation and snapped his eyepatch for emphasis, not feeling the stinging pain that he would've normally felt.

However, he did wince a moment later as he felt a sharp pinch on his arm, and instantly he knew it was Ace getting retribution for the action. Sabo rubbed the irritated area with a frown, while sending out a mental apology to Ace. The whole soulmate connection was still weird to him, but he'd was making progress with it and coming to terms with the information wasn’t as difficult as he had first perceived. Sabo was even trying not to be up and about when he wasn't doing therapy or going somewhere as to not tire both himself and Ace out.

And as it turned out, Ace wasn’t a total prick–only for the most part. Something fundamental changed between them after that day of being locked together in his room, like they'd come to an unspoken agreement. Tolerating was the best term for it, Ace had even come around to visit his room, albeit very briefly, looking for Luffy as his main reason. And though Sabo was willing to accept that, he could feel how this new transition was different. And in no time Sabo found that he didn't entirely dislike their tentative arrangement, nor did he entirely dislike Ace. Even if the vampire was immature and felt the need to pinch him whenever Sabo unintentionally caused him pain, he was alright.

And in that same amount of time, Sabo had gotten an eyepatch the moment the doctors had confirmed that his left eye was rendered useless by the tar. That moment had been less than thrilling for Sabo to receive confirmation that he had truly had lost his eye. Sabo knew that he would have reacted negatively too, if it hadn’t been for Luffy who had been absolutely ecstatic about the idea of Sabo in an eyepatch.

Luffy immediately declared that Sabo looked like a pirate with it on and would steal the accessory from Sabo's face whenever he was around. Sabo himself didn't particularly like wearing the eyepatch–it felt weird on his head and as he had assumed, restraining–thus he only used the thing whenever he was out of his room as he was in that moment.

Izo’s hum snapped Sabo back into reality once again, causing him to take notice of the barest of nods she gave as she dug a shallow hole in the soft earth and worked methodically in her task. Sabo watched as she added just enough of the fertilizer within the newly made hole before she carefully lowered the plant into its new home and with a gentle caress to the still closed flower, she started to put the earth back.

“Marco spoke to the doctor not that long ago, it seems that even with your unprecedented trip from a few days ago you will be at your best in about three weeks, have you heard anything in response to the letter you sent?” Izo asked patting the earth gently around the small flower and moving onto the next one. If Sabo hadn’t  before glancing at the sky and smiling, “We have about half an hour until the blooming happens, let’s see if we can beat the clock, no?”

"No, though I don't know how I could get a reply anyways when she wouldn't know where to send it." Sabo moved onto the next flower, trying to pick up his pace some.

"I told you I was sorry about all that, didn't I?" Sabo asked after a moment, pausing in his work briefly, but not turning to face Izo; finding himself incapable at that moment. "It wasn't fair to make you come after me, Izo. I just... the deadline was yesterday. I probably wouldn't have made it anyways," he murmured, knowing Izo would be able to hear him regardless. "Thanks."

A small beat of silence passed between the two before Sabo saw Izo’s hand enter his immediate area and pat Sabo’s hand gently, “There’s no reason to thank me, nor to be sorry about it my dear. All unfairness was in our court, we promised you freedom and you were denied the very thing you sought most in the world. We will not go back on our word on that, I promise you Sabo, you will have your freedom once you have recuperated. But I want you to know that should you ever be in any danger again, don’t hesitate to call me, okay? No matter what it is let me know, be it a climb down a mountain or one of Thatch’s erratic stories of his many adventures.” Izo spoke warmly, no doubt in hopes of livening the mood.

“Afterall, one can hear the story of how he wrestled a Rhino while making flambe only so many times.” she added with a light yet fond huffed.

Sabo nodded, letting the previous subject drop and returned to work, moving on to his third flower.But his interest was inevitably piqued by the mental image of the lovable chef. "Thatch wrestled a rhino while making a flambe?"

Izo laughed, “That’s what he likes to tell us all, ask him yourself if you’re that curious, but I caution you, be ready for _a lot_ of boasting.”

"Ah, no.. I'd rather not have my ear talked off," Sabo chuckled nervously. As much as he loved them there were only so many of Thatch's stories Sabo could handle in a single day.

“Good call; and the introduction on the Moonflower to the garden is complete, be a dear and watch them for a minute, it seems I left the watering can in the shed, I’ll go get it and be right back in time for them to bloom.” Izo stated rising up in that graceful flawless way of hers, wiping her hands on her apron and walking away from Sabo to where he could only presume the shed was.

While Izo went to fetch the watering can, Sabo hummed taking the time to finish up his last flower. Once the last one was planted, Sabo sat back on his heels with a sigh, looking over his work and actually feeling quite pleased with how it turned out. His didn't look as good as Izo's, but that was inevitable really, since he was more than willing to bet she'd been tending this garden for longer than he'd even been alive.

Still Sabo found himself excited to see what they would look like fully bloomed. The moon was rising and the temperature was gradually dropping, but Sabo didn't feel too cold yet, thanks to Izo's gift.

* * *

 

Koala let out a soft curse as she tripped over another hidden rock on the ground. Yet, she continued weaving through the trees nonetheless; ascending the mountain as stealthily as she could, but it was hard to do in the dark forest. Folded up and safely tucked away in her pocket was Sabo's letter. One that had arrived to her not long ago with unwavering assurance that he was alive and a guest in a castle, being looked after by vampires of all things and a promise that he'd be home 'soon'.

Needless to say, that information hadn't been comforting in the slightest and Koala had immediately set off to go find her friend. Koala wished that she could have brought a proper search party with her, but Sabo had asked for her not to say a word to the others. As far as they knew, Sabo was past the given month and was now being proclaimed fallen in battle. Thus to them, Sabo was presumed dead. Half way through her scale up the mountain Koala was was regretting respecting his request and staying quiet, taking stock into how alone she was and cold it was becoming. Not to mention the forest was infested with as much vampires as wildlife if they had a secret castle on the terrain.

 _The things that idiot drags me into_ , Koala scoffed mentally, continuing to push forward using her irritation as a fuel of sorts.

That very morning she had come upon the ruins of Sabo’s appointed team, and after a quick scrounge, Koala came out empty handed. There was nothing to see in the destroyed camp, and with that realization it became glaringly obvious that the only direction to go from there was up. That was easier said than done, however, and before Koala knew it the sun had set and she was–not lost–but uncertain as to where exactly she was going. The forest had grown increasingly ominous as the light faded. Maybe she was being paranoid, knowing that there were vampires holed up somewhere on this mountain, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.

After about 5 more minutes of aimless wandering while keeping her senses honed for animals and vampires alike, Koala hoped that a clearing would appear farther up ahead and picked up her pace. The more Koala pushed herself upwards through the thicket of foliage and trees, the clearer things began to get, and if her guess was right, the trees would begin to thin out soon. In no time the moonlight made way for a much brighter night sky over the surrounding forest, Koala stayed within the treeline however, awed to see that her silent prayers had indeed been answered and then some.

In front of her not only was there a significantly large clearing but at its borders sat a grand lavish stone castle, with its rear side pressing firmly against the other side of the mountain–almost as if the castle itself was created out of the mountain wall and delicately shaped into the marvelous structure before her, it was no wonder the coven remained hidden even with the parties surrounding the mountains– the lights within the windows flickered softly further lighting up the ground below. The sight was actually quite beautiful, but Koala ducked back into the cover of the trees the moment she heard voices coming from her right. They were too soft to make out, though, so after a quick internal debate Koala slowly made her way closer to the source, making sure to stay out of sight and as quietly as she could using every ounce of training she had honed throughout her years.

Koala snuck as close to the voices as she dared, pressing herself against a tree and chancing a glance past its edge, it took no time for her to spot two vampires sitting outside, working on what looked like a garden?

Cautiously and with unmasked curiosity, Koala watched them work until one of them stood up and after a moment left, leaving the other alone. She moved even closer so that she would be able to see the retreating figure better, but the one left behind caused her to do a double take. Koala’s eyes widened to comical proportions when she saw the kneeling figure reached up to take something off of their head and reveal bright blonde hair underneath.

Blonde? Granted there were bound to be blonde vampires skulking around the place, but this particular head of blonde, it was one she _knew_. Koala strained her eyes to pick out more of the figure's features. And upon further study, she had to smile, her object of interest was helpfully sitting in a patch of moonlight, and Koala could see the familiar slim man. His head adorned with shoulder-length curly blond hair. If she hadn’t known him for the better half of her life, Koala wouldn’t have been able to identify him so easily and in record time.

But Koala knew her best friend as well as she knew the back of her hand, that knowledge though did nothing to ease her wariness. Finding Sabo just seemed too easy, what were the chances of her happening upon the castle after a single try and finding Sabo not only _outside_ but also at the opportune moment of him being left alone?

Koala hesitated for only a moment, her large brown eyes scanning the area for any signs of vampires or… _something._ Softly, Koala let out a bird call, one that was used exclusively for identifying other hunters, watching and waiting for his reaction.


	20. Chapter 20

Sabo had been admiring the garden, going over the closed roses and the dormant pitcher plants, the common daisies and pansies. But there were others that he had only seen in some of Makino’s flower books. Makino had a small blue book filled with night time flowers, Sabo had found a copy just like it in the castle library and had read it for nostalgic reasons. From the book he recognized other night blooming flowers like the evening primroses, night gladiolus, casablanca lilies, four o'clock’s and Brahma Kamal’s.

Sabo was feeling pretty great, proud of himself even as he was able to identify many of the flora after a single re-read of a book from his childhood. In fact he was so deep in thought over the garden before him that he almost hadn’t heard the call of a bird. It took Sabo a moment to distinguish the bird call, and the moment that realization kicked in, his body immediately went stiff. It was a hunter's call, one he'd used himself several times in the past, meaning only one thing.

There was a hunter in the area.

And whoever the person was, they were directly behind him, most likely hidden just behind the treeline. Sabo dared a look, but as he had expected, he saw nothing. Next he glanced in the direction Izo had disappeared to before slowly getting up, his limited senses on high alert.

The moment that he stood, the call stopped, no doubt the hunter taking note that he or she had been found. Sabo stood there listening for any other signs, but no more came.

Chancing another glance at the shed once more, Sabo waited for any sign that Izo too had heard the call, or that she was somehow familiar with the code of the hunters. Haruta had been a hunter last he remembered, so it stood to reason that they were at least clued in to some of the things that the hunters did. When Sabo saw no indication that Izo knew what the bird call meant, Sabo took a risk and sent a call back, all the while moving closer to the edge of the trees. Even a few yards from the tree line, however, it was near impossible for his eye to see beyond the first couple of feet into the forest despite the brightness of the full moon, and this thought unsettled Sabo.

He had no way of knowing just what was beyond the trees after all. It could be a vampire using the guise of hunter knowledge, but Sabo was quick to disregard that thought, why would a vampire need to resort to impersonating a vampire hunter? Just as Sabo was deliberating the unlikely scenario, the other hunter called back, sounding further away than he had initially thought.

Taking a deep breath Sabo made the decision to step right up to the treeline, trying to see anything past three feet, and remained unsuccessful; this time it was Sabo’s turn to return the call. Back and forth the two went, calling out the familiar tune; they continued this game of parroting one another until Sabo finally could make out a figure a few feet farther into the forest, the castle now hidden in the foliage behind him.

"Sabo?"

That voice. Sabo _knew_ that voice all too well. Sabo’s heart swelled with a dozen if not more emotions before stopping for a good four beats while he tried to get his voice to do as he wanted. His blue eye landed on the one person he would know anywhere; his best friend.

"Koala?" Sabo hissed back the moment he wrestled his voice out of whatever knook it had slipped into.

"I got your letter," Koala deadpanned, her voice serious and giving nothing away. Before Sabo could say anything in his defense, Koala stepped into his space and grabbed Sabo's wrist, pulling him further into the forest and away from the castle. "Now c’mon, we need to get out of here before they get back."

Sabo–although surprised by the plan that was sprung up on him–planted his feet firmly on the ground and refused to budge any further, stopping a perplexed Koala who said nothing her eyes weren’t screaming.

Sabo on the other hand, didn’t know what to feel, much less what to say. All he could do was stare at Koala, his best friend, the one person that had been a constant presence on his life ever since they met. And she was _real._

Before he knew what he was doing, Sabo pulled her in for a tight hug, all of his emotions flooding out of his heart and overpowering him with happiness and relief. "Koala, I–I thought you were dead," he said quietly, burying his head into her familiar hat, taking in that she was actually there.

"Idiot, I thought _you_ were dead. And then out of the blue I get some letter from a random bird saying you're being held up at some _vampire_ castle? What the hell Sab?" Koala asked, pulling back to punch Sabo's shoulder in irritation. "Do you know how hard it was finding this place? Don’t answer that, we need to _go!_ " she repeated, pulling at Sabo’s wrist again.

"Koala, no. I can't,” Sabo started, shaking his head and ignoring the sting of his shoulder. “They'll notice, and I'm not exactly in the best shape for hiking down a mountain," he added with a grimace.

Sabo could see the precise moment Koala took him in and actually _saw_ the state that Sabo was in. Sabo watched silently as her eyes widened and Koala finally took in his bandage-covered body. He watched her head rise and let her take a few steps back to properly look at him and study him until her eyes settled on the left side of his face.  She instantly zeroed in on his eyepatch, and he saw every emotion displayed clearly across her face. Surprise was first, followed by confusion, realization, shock, and finally she settled on worry.

"Sabo... what happened to you?"

What could Sabo say to that? ‘Y _eah, I was caught and tortured, then I pissed off a guy who turned out to be my soulmate. Speaking of, remember that story we used to hear as kids? Turns out it’s all true, but I had to take tar to the face to know it.’_ No, Sabo couldn’t go with that, so he only gave her a nonspecific shrug in response. How else could he possibly begin to explain what had happened to him over this past month?

Sabo stepped back, away from Koala’s stare and out of the moonlight backing himself into the shadows, suddenly feeling self-conscious before his most trusted friend.

"You know I was captured," he hedged.

"No shit, I’m asking what did they _do_ to you, Sabo? What happened to your eye?" Koala pressed softly though every bit of force was behind her tone.

Koala followed after Sabo, worry evident on her face and mirroring in her wide dark gaze. Koala placed a hand on Sabo's cheek, a soft and completely welcome calming gesture that he more than readily leaned into. Sabo vaguely realized that the contact he was sharing with Koala at that moment was the first time he was being reached out to by someone who wasn’t essentially as cold as a corpse. And whether it was consciously or not, he found himself gravitating towards her, seeking the comfort he hadn’t quite known he needed.

"I– they... a lot happened," Sabo said hesitantly, not knowing where to begin.

"I can see that, idiot." Koala rolled her eyes though her voice lacked its usual sharp edge. A pause followed her words and without needing to say anything, Koala’s hand left Sabo’s cheek slowly inching upwards. She began to pull off the eyepatch after a long moment and Sabo didn't stop her. His blue gaze was trained to the ground, unable to bring himself to look at her, much less see her reaction.

Sabo couldn’t feel when exactly the eyepatch had been pulled back from his eye, but he could however, feel when the pressure from the band was relieved. Those sensations couldn’t compare to the daunting sense of apprehension that washed over him when he heard Koala’s soft intake of breath followed by a gulp that might as well have been done right next to his good ear.

"Sabo," Koala breathed, and he could do nothing but wince, knowing just what she was looking at. He had stared at the marred angry broken flesh that surrounded his useless eye for hours on end, but in time he had come to a sort of acceptance to his condition.

"It doesn't hurt if that’s what you’re wondering, just itches sometimes. The area is all numb."

"You can't see from it at all?" she asked quietly.

Sabo shook his head in response, and Koala pulled him into another hug, the comforting and familiar feeling washing over him once more. Sabo squeezed her back tightly, relishing in the gentle thudding in her chest, one of the main factors that proved that she was alive.

Koala was the first to pull back from the hug, her face lighting up in a way that Sabo knew she had a plan to lighten up the mood. "Oh hey! I nearly forgot to tell you, I found your staff when I went to check out your camp," she said with a renewed smile, pulling off the holster where the pole rested, always careful not to touch it as she handed it over. "I seriously don't know how you can carry this thing around all the time, it's awkward as hell, especially when climbing a mountain."

Sabo's smile slowly began to mirror Koala’s as he took his staff from her. The weapon was a specially crafted item; the entire shaft composed of one of the rarest types of stone known to hunters and vampires alike. That particular stone was named long ago as Kairoseki, believed to have derived from the sea and held a unique property that allowed it to drain both the physical and mental strength of those unfortunate enough to be exposed to it for too long.

So as one could imagine, using a Kairoseki staff was incredibly useful in fighting both vampires and humans so long as the user wore gloves. Unfortunately for Sabo, he had left the gloves he had been borrowing back at the garden. Thus Sabo could only admire his weapon companion from afar and out of his sight when he placed it where it belonged, the familiar weight comforting. "I thought I'd lost it, or that they'd taken it. Thank you, Koala… How did you survive the attack?"

Koala opened her mouth to answer, but before she could utter a single word, both of their heads snapped to the side in perfect synchronization when a soft sound penetrated the night air. Both hunters stood there, tense and ready for an attack, but as they waited, no further sounds were made and quietness reigned once more. Three minutes later, they let out a shaky breath both coming to a mutual decision that it was most likely a squirrel or another forest animal. Still, true to her training Koala moved away from where the sound had originated, slinking further into the shadows. "I'll tell you about that later. We don't know when they're coming back, so c’mon, let's go."

Sabo moved back slightly as well, though he had unconsciously stepped back towards the castle instead. He shook his head again. "I already told you I can't leave, Koala. They'll just find me and bring me back. But if they find _you,_ they won't be nearly as understanding."

"You're being held captive in a _castle full of vampires_ ," Koala stressed. "They hurt you Sabo, you lost your _eye_ , you're just going to–to give up and take it?"

"No! I never said that." Sabo frowned, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. "But I already tried to leave, and I just about killed myself in the process. That isn’t the only reason though, it’s hard to explain. These vampires are different, they don't want to hurt people. They've saved my life twice now, maybe even three times,” Sabo tried to explain, meeting Koala’s shadowed gaze and looking for any sign that he was getting through to her.

"And they're the ones who almost _ended_ it too, or have you forgotten that Sabo? You said you couldn't leave on your own, but now I'm here. We can get you off of this mountain and back to camp by daybreak. You're going to be replaced if you wait out here any longer Sab, and you've worked too hard for your position to give it all up for a _coven_ of all things."

Sabo sighed, knowing all too well the truth to her words. He knew he _ought_ to leave, if not for his own sake then for Luffy's, but it felt cowardly to just slip off in the middle of the night again, especially so soon after his first attempt. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, not when the first time had been so painful, and he didn’t mean it in an entirely physical way.

"I _know_ that, fuck, Koala I know what I’m risking. But it doesn't matter, not any more," he said softly. "I can't fight, not with how my body is now. My depth perception is forever messed up, even if I went back now I'd still be replaced. I would be a liability to any team, I’d be nothing- worse than a rookie."

Koala stared at Sabo in shock as his words sunk in and she caught onto what he was saying in between the lines. "You've given up on being a hunter, haven't you?"

Sabo's downcast appearance answered her question as clearly as if he'd said yes aloud.

"Why? And don't you dare give me that crap about you being unable to leave because of the nice little vampires," she said sternly.

Sabo chuckled softly, he had never truly been able to get a lie past Koala. "It's–do you remember when I told you about Luffy?" he asked, and Koala nodded though Sabo could see the confusion in her eyes. It was a strange and very sudden change of topics after all, but Sabo continued.

"Well he's here. Luffy is in the castle. Some asshole turned him into a vampire–nobody here though–the vamp's dead." Sabo started with the most simplified version he could think of, and it was a much easier reason for him to explain than that of the soulmate thing he had with Ace.

Koala said nothing, her face only showing one prominent emotion, surprise. After what seemed like an eternity,  Koala returned Sabo’s eye patch and he put it back on immediately, hiding his eye once more.

"He's alive... but how did he get here?" she asked quietly.

"Trust me, you don't want to know and I don't want to say," Sabo said darkly, pushing Ace’s retelling of Luffy’s past out of his mind. "I joined the hunters for Luffy, and now I've found him again. How can I protect him if I leave?"

"You can't," she said simply, exhaling a sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew better than anyone that Sabo's loyalties were in his family above all else no matter how small it was. If he was determined to stay, then not even Koala would be able to convince him otherwise. "How do you know they won't turn on you?"

Sabo had of course considered that possibility heavily when he had first been introduced to the family, what little slip up of his would lead to another tar bath? What would lead to his losing his life to them? And through his musings and cautious thoughts, the people around him had more than proved that they did in fact mean him no harm, despite what he had been through in the dungeons.

And yet, Sabo didn’t know exactly how to word his thoughts in a way that Koala would understand and not demand he scale down the mountain again. However, before he could even begin to piece together a plan of saying what he wanted to, he heard the bushes to their left rustle and twigs breaking, all signs alerting to someone approaching them. And that’s when he heard the quiet calls of his name.

Sabo watched as Koala tensed just as they had not long ago, but Sabo, oddly enough remained relaxed, vaguely wondering if it was due to his knowing that it was in fact Izo coming towards him and not someone that could hurt Koala and himself.

Both hunters turned just in time to see Izo stepping out of the overgrown shrubs and into the moonlight. She picked a few twigs out of her skirt, never once making eye contact with the pair- a tactic Sabo highly suspected that was meant to not scare off Koala. He had to smile secretively as he watched her straighten her clothes, looking as unthreatening as she could.

"Sabo please don't tell me you chase after rabbits too," Izo said with a sigh and raised her head, placing on a look of surprise that Sabo suspected was not entirely genuine though the smile that followed immediately after that was as genuine as they came, "And that’s definitely not a rabbit, have we another visitor, Sabo dear?"


	21. Chapter 21

What calm composure Sabo held immediately shifted to alarm the moment Koala unsheathed her sword and brandished it defensively in one fluid movement as she stepped in between Izo and himself.

And before he could diffuse the situation, Koala took a step back, guarding Sabo. "Who are you?" she asked, voice clipped.

Sabo's alarm quickly turned to fear for his friend, and he raised his hands placatingly and as slowly and cautiously as he could, he moved out from behind Koala. She had moved to block his path, but Sabo shook his head and soon it was he who was standing in between the two.

"Izo, this is Koala, my friend. I know how bad this looks but I swear I didn't tell her where the castle was. She is a hunter but trust me when I say she won't hurt anyone." He vouched and made to push down the tip of Koala's sword, but Koala didn't budge, she was refusing to take her eyes away from Izo.

"I'll make my own decisions, Sabo-kun." She said in a voice he had long ago learned not to cross.

However, Sabo didn’t back down and instead balked at the name she used, it was what she called him when she was angry, and an angry Koala was never a good thing. If the confrontation sparked into a fight, then everything that could possibly go wrong would go wrong, and Sabo would be damned if he was forced to choose between the two.

"Please Koala, stop it. If you have ever had any trust in me, now would be the best time to demonstrate it," Sabo pleaded quietly, and maybe it was his words, or the tone of his voice that convinced Koala to reluctantly look away from Izo long enough to look at Sabo, giving him a second to explain. "Yes, she's a vampire, but she's also my closest friend here, you don't have to fight her, I promise she won’t hurt us."

Koala's eyes widened disbelievingly and Sabo honestly couldn’t blame her, had he been in her position he knew he would be as much if not more on the defensive as she was. But at that minute, Sabo needed her to trust him.

Koala looked from Sabo and back to Izo. "But she's one of the ones who tortured you Sabo. You might be quick to forgive and forget but I'm not."

Behind him, Izo spoke up once more, her soft voice giving nothing away and making it all that much harder for Sabo to discern what Izo may be thinking. "I mean neither you nor Sabo any harm I assure you. Thus aiming a sword in my general direction is not necessary."

Koala remained silent, gauging Izo’s words and Sabo knew that the tensions was not going anywhere anytime soon. His mind raced with possible ways that he could rectify the situation and assure Koala that it was okay, while simultaneously getting through to Izo that he had not brought Koala here, and that she meant to harm to her and the rest of the coven despite her status as a hunter.

"Would you like to see the flowers bloom?” Izo asked then surprising Sabo as he turned so that he could see her better, “We haven't much time until they bloom under the full moon and I can't very well let Sabo’s efforts at gardening go to waste by not letting him see the fruits of his labors. Besides you must be exhausted” she said with a pleasant smile on her features.

When Koala made no move to reply, Izo nodded once, “I understand your distrust dear, and believe I'm not saying forgive and forget; I'm asking for a stalemate and cease fire for the time being. If you are Sabo’s friend, no harm will come to you while under a roof so long as you follow one simple rule. Lay a hand on our family and I cannot guarantee your or his safety."

"And how do I know you'll honor the agreement?" Koala asked, not letting her guard down nor looking at Sabo, who kept bouncing his sight from Izo to Koala.

"Because I have no reason to dishonor it. You are free to believe what you wish child, but when on our grounds blood is repaid in blood and heavens knows we are already in serious debt. I understand the mistrust you feel and the anger that is directed at us, what happened to Sabo is something we are not proud of and will try to make up for the rest of our lives, but believe me when I say nothing of that caliber will ever ensue again." Izo spoke softly to Koala, but Sabo could _feel_ her eyes on him, those words meant for him just as much as they were meant for his friend.

And then in a much more chipper tone, Izo added, "Now I really must insist we head back to the garden before the moonflowers bloom, you can either join me or attend to the woods, though I would not recommend it should a guard or wild raccoon pass by, those little things are really quite ferocious."

With that Izo turned and headed back, picking her way through the forest in a much more graceful and near silent way that confirmed Sabo’s earlier suspicions. She had meant for them to hear her, but what had she heard?

"C'mon Koala," Sabo urged, his eye silently pleading with her. "Please trust me, if she wanted to hurt either you or me don’t you think she would have done it already?"

Koala didn't move or say anything for a solid minute, her eyes flickered between the Sabo and Izo’s retreating figure before she softened marginally. And after a clear mental debate, Koala lowered her sword, though she refused to sheath it. "Fine. This forest is creepy anyways," she muttered, glancing around suspiciously into the darkness.

Sabo smiled in relief. "Thank you, Koala." Gently, he took her hand and lead Koala out of the forest, doing his best to follow Izo’s path that lead back to the garden.

"Before all of this, Izo and I were planting these special kind of flowers that only bloom at night, they're called Moonflowers," Sabo explained on his way back, offering Koala a reassuring squeeze to her hand. “There are others too, flowers that only bloom at night I mean, I think you’ll like them,” he added and once they were back at the garden, Sabo presented the garden to her.

From the look Sabo was receiving from Koala, it was pretty obvious she was still unhappy about the entire situation, but Sabo knew that the easiest way to calm Koala was to show her that there was nothing to be worried about. And with that in mind, Sabo resolved to act as he normally would around her.

“They’re beautiful aren’t they?” Sabo asked giving Koala a smile, one that assured her that she was safe, amongst friends and that things would be fine.

"Well I gotta say Izzy, Blondie’s right those moonflowers really are beautiful, a truly wonderful addition. Now, who wants some brownies?" Thatch asked so suddenly at their that not only did he make Izo jump slightly at the intrusion but Sabo and Koala as well. How had the vampire done that?

And it was then that the scent of chocolate hit Sabo, his mouth watering at the simple prospect of tasting one. He had to swallow back the building drool and mentally cursed his luck for almost giving himself away, though externally Sabo kept his body language cool and collected.

However, before he could explain to Koala who their new friend was, she had already switched into an offensive stance bringing the sword up with betrayal flashing through her eyes and again she placed herself between Sabo and the new threat.

But Sabo was there to place a calming hand on her shoulder once more, doing his absolute best in keeping his voice relaxed, calm and completely normal. He leaned in to Koala with a soft whisper, "Don’t worry, Koala, that's just Thatch, shitty chef extraordinaire."

Sabo watched as Koala assessed the situation, she could see through him, she had always had that uncanny way of hers. Koala never failed to notice little things about Sabo, and at times he suspected that she knew him better than he knew himself after all their shared years together. There was no doubt in Sabo’s mind that she could sense more than see the slight anxiety hidden behind his words.

Sabo was trying immensely hard not to give her reason to attack, he was silently urging her to trust him and believe that he was doing the right thing. What seemed like an eternity later, Koala slowly lowered her sword once more, still making a point of not sheathing it. "Nice to meet you, Thatch," she spoke cautiously.

That in turn made Thatch pout briefly, though it was more aimed at Izo rather than at Sabo and Koala "I can’t believe it Iz, you’re hosting secret flower watching parties that include pointy swords and I wasn't invited? I mean I can expect this sort of complete and utter betrayal from Blondie, but Izo I thought you and I were tight." Thatch shook his head in disbelief and mock disappointment before he bit down on one of his brownies, the outburst only warranting him a fond roll of Izo’s eyes.

"I asked if you wanted to join us earlier and you said you had a mountain of fudge to conquer so I left you to that, remember?" She reminded him gently whilst taking an offered brownie wrapped in a blanket, a show that Thatch was ever mindful of Izo’s hobbies.

Izo smiled thankfully and bit into the chocolate pastry humming at the taste. "Truly wonderful Thatch, thank you."

Once his hand was brownie free, Thatch snapped his fingers and laughed, "Ah that's right! That _is_ how these brownies were made." The chef chuckled and beamed in Koala’s direction. "But excuse my manners, it is a pleasure to meet you, I would offer you a proper bow my lady, but gravity and brownies aren't friends you see, would you like one?" Thatch asked offering the tray over.

When Koala made no move to take one of the brownies, Sabo took the initiative and took two of the treats handing one over to Koala and when she didn’t bite down on hers, he took the first bite. Koala watched him closely, skeptically looking over to her own brownie until she deemed it safe and took a bite. Koala’s eyes widened slightly as she tasted it. "This is actually really good."

Sabo laughed at the genuine surprise laced in her voice and simply winked in her direction before looking over to Thatch lazily.

"Eh, you're getting closer," he shrugged indifferently, taking another brownie from the tray despite his words.

That of course only lead to Thatch pouting again. "I like your friend better,“ he grumbled and with a large smile he rounded on Koala, “Hey would you rather take his place? We can always use nicer people in our family. Will you be joining us for dinner Miss Koala? Or well not dinner for you, but with our schedule..." Thatch gestured to the moon and then himself. "Nocturnal clock."

"Dinner." Koala looked to Sabo, who only shrugged in response leaving the decision in her hands. He hadn't had many meals with the rest of the family since he's spent most of his time in the room, but from the stories he's heard they could get pretty wild.

"Are you going to stay?" Sabo asked when his usually vocal and opinionated friend remained somber and silent, but he knew that Koala had heard the double meaning behind his question.

"As if I could leave you here," Koala scoffed and cuffed his head for added emphasis. "I don't know how you've lasted this long without me."

Sabo only smiled in response, rubbing his neck sheepishly. And when a table bounced off from the window of a familiar room, he had to wince. Ace had no doubt felt the cuff and was not happy with Koala’s show of concern.

Across from Sabo, Izo hummed having noticed the table too, "Miss Koala, if I may, can I ask that you refrain from further displaying affection through rough contact with Sabo? His condition is still being monitored and it would be in his best interest to heal as fast as he can." she smiled pleasantly and glanced briefly at Thatch who rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Oh, right. Sorry Sab," Koala apologized, and Sabo shrugged it off, steeling himself for payback from Ace for the pain. None immediately came, but Sabo knew just how much Koala's hits could hurt even when you did see them coming. It was still weird to Sabo, trying to take into account what Ace would feel with anything and everything Sabo that was done toto Sabo, but he was learning to be more careful.

"Could we head back inside? It's cold out here." Sabo asked hiding the shiver that went up his spine the moment he removed his scarf and wrapped it around Koala, who looked at him with slight surprise that was soon replaced with a smile, her version of a silent thank you.

Izo's honey eyes looked over the pair and took another brownie with a smile, nodding to Thatch and Sabo afterwards, "But of course, I'm going to run ahead and get cleaned up. Then I’ll let Oyaji know of our new guests, please try to not get them lost," she chuckled and went on ahead.

Now alone with Thatch and Koala, Sabo turned to see the vampire smiling from ear to ear. "You just couldn't live without your lady friend could you Blondie? You just had to summon her here and get her up the mountain. Well Kid, trust me I know the feeling of love all too well. Hey, have you heard the story behind the saying of _the birds and the bees_?"

"Like I would ever date this loser," Koala scoffed at the same time that Sabo gained a slight rosy tint to his cheeks and protested, "I didn't _summon_ her."

" _Right_ ,” Thatch emphasized and chuckled handing Sabo yet another brownie.

“Whatever, c’mon, let's go inside," Sabo muttered, the sound muffled by the treat in his mouth.

The trio retreated to the castle, both listening as Thatch chatted idly about everything and nothing, greeting his vampire brethren along the way. Everybody they passed in the halls was a vampire, and there was staring coming from both parties. Koala stuck close to Sabo, it was hard for him not to tell that she was on extremely high alert while they walked through the large halls. Sabo could tell how uncomfortably tense she was while surrounded by potential enemies on all sides, and how unhappy she was after having to sheathed her sword before stepping into the house. Sabo had felt the exact same when he started walking around the halls, but eventually Sabo learned to ignore the looks he got whenever he left his room, and now that he had his staff back, Sabo found himself much more confident amongst them. It was nice, knowing that he had a way to protect himself now, even if he didn't strictly need to.

Sabo joined in the idle chit chat with Thatch as they walked, doing his best to help Koala in keeping her mind off of what was currently happening. Sabo could tell that Koala appreciated the effort, but the relief she radiated when they stopped in front of a door to Sabo's room was palpable.

He didn’t apologize for the mess, Koala very well knew what she would most likely see in Sabo’s roof after their many years of knowing one another. And Sabo was pleased that his borrowed room was at least similar to the one he had back home, light blues and grays, and tidy for the most part save for the dozen books that littered every flat surface.

Sabo immediately moved to the bed, clearing it of five or so books before sitting down with relief and motioned for Koala to do the same. His side burned with trying to keep up with Thatch and Koala on the stairs, he knew Ace would be less than happy about it, but Sabo couldn't be bothered to care at the moment. He was just happy Koala was here, despite all the problems she would inevitably cause. It'd been so long since he'd been around someone that actually knew him, he was excited.

* * *

 

Ace rubbed at the back of his head with a soft huff as he stalked down the halls, his quick strides leading him to the door of one of his least favorite person in the castle.

“What is wrong with you? Going around making people hit your head of all places, just because you have a thick skull doesn’t mean everyone else does, jackass.” Ace asked as he pounded on the door to Sabo’s room.

Three knocks was all he needed before he forced the door open, “Seriously who did you piss off that bad that they just had to-” Ace’s words froze on his tongue as his eyes landed on a _very_ unfamiliar person sitting on Sabo’s bed.

Ace’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion just before the scent hit him. He had gotten used to the scent of human in every room especially the one Sabo was occupying but the scent that invaded his senses was... _off_. And it took him no time to put two and two together to know that this was the scent of the other person, another human. The pulsing around Ace’s eyes was an instant reflex as he studied the new person, watching her every move. Ace’s body then shifted to the side, blocking the door to any escape attempts.

“And just what is _that_ doing here?” He questioned, never once moving his eyes from the equally tense human.

Sabo groaned, as he let his his head fall into his hands for a moment while he cursed his luck. Of course the one time Ace decided to visit his room was the time another hunter had somehow come to the castle. They had just started to build something that could possibly one day be called trust, but now that was all going to go down the drain.

"I could ask the same of you," Koala replied cooly before Sabo could intervene. She had jumped to her feet the moment the first forceful knock had landed on the door and now she stood with one hand casually resting on the sword at her hip, posture deceptively relaxed.

"Ace, this is Koala, she's my _friend_." Sabo stressed as he too got to his feet despite the protests his body gave. "And before you start accusing me, no I did not tell her where to find the castle, so kill that thought now."

Ace, however, completely disregarded Sabo’s words and instead looked over to the unknown human, a smirk already on his lips as he identified her as a hunter as well. She had to be, no other sane human would be so daring or stupid to scale up a mountain known to have vampires by the locals, and much enter a castle full of vampires. “Go on, pull the sword out. I fucking dare you.” he goaded stepping farther into the room.

“I don’t care if you told her where to find us or not, she has no business being here.” Ace added rolling a shoulder and hearing the telltale sign of a pop.

It was one thing to tolerate one hunter but two of them and humans no less, it was more than Ace could handle at the moment. How the Hell had she even gotten through the entire castle without it raising a huge red flag. That would be a question for later though, and the guards on duty would have some explaining to do.

“So what’s it going to be, human?” Ace hissed daring her to make the first move.

Ace watched as the girl’s eyes flashed at the challenge. But Sabo had to step in and physically stop her from drawing her sword out out by placing a hand over hers. Once Sabo knew that she wouldn’t be doing anything idiotic, he moved to stand in front of her, blocking her from attacking Ace. "Koala stop, please. We can't fight in here, or anywhere. If you hurt him, the others will come. You can't possibly hope to win against everybody in this castle, so _please_ sit down," he urged.

"Have you gone insane? Can you not see his eyes?" Koala pressed from behind him, not doing a thing about disguising the bewildered disbelief in her tone, but Sabo held firm and unmoving.

"No and yes, trust me Koala, now's not the time for fighting. We're the outsiders here, not him. No matter how much of a prick he may be." Sabo stated and looked to Ace then, his voice taking on a more steely tone. "And you, stop provoking her, Thatch and Izo both already know she's here. Do you think Izo would allow somebody dangerous inside the castle, would Thatch?"

For a long moment Ace faced off against the pair and reluctantly he shoved his hands into his pockets, though his brow furrowed all the same. Both Thatch and Izo know about their new little visitor and another hunter no less, was the entire coven going insane?

“I’m still watching you.” Ace muttered forcing his fangs away and deliberately biting down on his tongue before they retracted completely, in retribution for the earlier disruption.

“And that’s for earlier, jerk. I had to start from the beginning thanks to you.” Ace grumbled thinking back to his ruined work.

Sabo gave Ace an unimpressed look as pain spiked his tongue, but he'd been expecting it. He was just relieved that Ace had simmered down enough to put his fangs away.

“How’d you find the place anyway, don’t look much like a tracker, more like a weasel, evasive and twitchy.” Ace noted not keeping his eyes off of her movements and certainly not keeping his comments to himself.

"Good, that means I'm doing it right," Koala brushed off the comment easily, never one to get offended by other's opinions. "I followed your little birdy to the camp, and after that there was nowhere else to go but up."

Ace grunted, internally cursing Phoenix for being a lazy bird and allowing himself to get tracked down or rather up the mountain.

“Oh look you’ve all met! That’s great!” Thatch’s voice startled Ace as the man laughed and swung his arm around Ace’s shoulder. “You know Acey, Sabo tells me that this is the girl he has been missing all this time, and I mean can you blame him? Like I mean no offense Miss, but man is Sabo dating out of his league! Am I right?

“Cuz, honestly I _have_ to know what he did to even convince her to consider the thought of saying yes, I mean sure the kid is _ok_ looking at best, and his personality could use some improvement, but I dunno I think she can do much better don’t you?”

Ace snorted, “Like I care what she or he dates.”

“Really you don’t care? Not even a smidge?” Thatch asked gently rocking Ace who by that point was starting to loosen his hold on his anger and calmed by Thatch’s joking demeanor, though a small bubble of… _offness_ rose in his gut the longer he let the topic of Sabo and his new friend continue. “No I don’t care, there you happy?”

Thatch shrugged good naturedly, “Unconvinced more than anything, but c’mon the food’s ready and if you guys continue to debate Sabo’s questionable stance with the pretty lady then Luffy won’t leave anything for us on the table.” Thatch urged and started to herd Ace out of the door, only to turn his head back and wiggle his eyebrows in the direction of Sabo and Koala. “I even asked Izo to save you two seats right next to each other so you won’t have to leave one another’s sides ever again.”

"Oi! Speak for yourself, pompadour man," Sabo protested once he was able to find his voice and pushed away the sudden sensation of heat that rose up his neck and colored his cheek.

Koala, on the other hand, let out a snort of amusement at her friend's expense and Sabo smacked her arm indignantly. "We are _not_ dating," he insisted, looking to Koala for backup.

Koala only smirked though, going through the motions of giving him a once over. "Well..."

Sabo in his exasperation, punched her shoulder and a grin broke out on her face making her relent. "Alright alright, yeah we're not dating, but I have disagree with you saying he looks 'okay'," she hedged, dodging yet another punch from Sabo with a laugh.

With no further options at his disposal, and unable to exert himself further, Sabo let out a long suffering sigh and brushed past Thatch in the doorway, leaving Koala behind in the room. She easily caught up to him though, mirth dancing in her eyes. Koala always loved messing with him whenever possible, Sabo had no idea why he'd thought she would make his situation better.

“Ha, two against one!” Thatch cheered following along, “Though I don’t buy the whole we’re not dating thing, if you think that incredibly unconvincing argument will change my mind you are sorely mistaken my okay looking blonde friend.” Thatch grinned making his way down the stairs.

“Hey Thatch, is that your ten layer heartattack I smell burning up?” Ace asked cutting into the conversation he no longer wished to hear and watched in slight amusement as the red haired chef sniffed the air. And though Thatch cursed and dashed the rest of the way down the stairs and out of sight, Ace was still left slightly annoyed.

“You’re welcome.” Ace grumbled after Thatch was out of earshot and continued on in silence, or at least he would have if he hadn’t heard the infamous laugh of a small child followed by, “Yetiiiiiii!”

Ace braced himself against the impact just as Luffy came bounding down the stairs and attached himself to Sabo in the gentlest surprise attack hugs he could. Sabo, though, wasn’t as prepared and stumbled for a moment while Ace coughed into his hands hiding the sudden feeling of having the air knocked out of him. Once the initial discomfort left though, Ace and glanced back to notice Luffy climbing onto Sabo’s shoulders like the adorable little monkey he was.

“Shishishi. Hey, hey Sabby guess what I did today huh? Wanna guess?” Luffy babbled excitedly and before he could let his brother say anything he continued, “I bathed Stefan with Pineapple today! Shishishi the water was everywhere and Stefan shook like this.” Luffy grinned shaking in imitation and laughed, “And Pineapple looked so funny! What do you do today, did you play with Izzy?”

Sabo held onto the child's legs securely, putting a slight bounce in his step as he continued to the kitchen. "Mmhmm, we planted these really cool mystery flowers that only grow at night, and then I found a friend. Luffy this is Koala, my best friend." he introduced, gesturing to her as she walked next to him. And though his focus was on Luffy, he did not fail to see the realization that lit up her eyes. When she opened her mouth Sabo shook his head discreetly though, and Koala didn't press the matter. She gave him a look that said they would be talking about this later though, and Sabo didn't argue.

“Shishishi Sabby you’re weird making friends with a bear.” Luffy laughed and then looked to Koala, “Yo! My names Luffy, the future king of pirates. Oh hey do Koala’s poop too?” he asked his last part turning into the most serious tone that any five year old could muster.

Ace on the other side of the blond hung his head, “Lu, I’ve told you many times that everyone does that and I’m sure the weasel here is no exception.”

“Weasel? I thought she was a bear?” Luffy asked disregarding all but those words.. “She looks more like a bear to me, though.” he beamed and leaned into Sabo’s head. “Doesn’t she look like a bear Sabby? Like a teddy. Hey hey, miss bear lady, can I have your meat?”

Sabo only hummed in response, knowing better than to say anything, not that it would have mattered when he noticed Koala was already grinning at Luffy. She was a sucker for little kids, and Sabo could tell she was already a lost cause with Luffy.

"Sure," she agreed without a second thought, and Sabo groaned while Ace snickered and Luffy cheered.

"You have just made the biggest possible mistake Koala any dinner attendee could make. You don't understand just how much Luffy is capable of eating," Sabo warned but Koala waved off his concern.

"It'll be fine, how much could he possibly eat?" she asked doubtfully. “He’s so tiny.”

Ace rose a brow but said nothing at that while Sabo shook his head and Luffy laughed, leaving a very confused Koala in their wake.


	22. Chapter 22

Dinner had gone interestingly well despite the intrusion of a hunter, much to Ace’s growing annoyance. Oyaji had of course been the giant warm hearted person that he was and welcomed the girl to their table.

In no time his family was warming up to her and Ace–if he detached himself from his feelings of her and humans–could begrudgingly see why. The weasel had managed to let a few mannerisms escape and the tension lowered considerably. And the moment that they all witnessed her expression after Luffy managed to relieve her food of its contents and a few others, well it was the most hilarious thing he had seen in awhile.

Ace had left immediately after the meal, excusing himself to his room. Though instead of going to where he said he would be, Ace snuck into a hidden corridor and went off on his new mission.

When Ace had first started challenging Oyaji, he discovered a few things about the castle. And one of those things was that the castle had a series of secret passageways that acted as veins within the castle, connecting rooms and hallways and even acting as secret windows to other rooms.

Ace suspected near none of the inhabitants knew of them, since he had never been discovered within them, nor had they been used prior and after his attempts at challenging Oyaji. Thus it stood to reason that the humans knowing about them was near impossible. Ace didn’t trust Sabo all that much given the rocky start and a few other things, so his distrust for the other hunter was of course very high and he was going to get to the bottom of her visit even if he had to spy on them.

In no time at all, Ace was within the walls that lined Sabo’s chambers. He paced its length until he found a decent spot on the other side of the bed where he suspected they would take a seat on again and sat down to wait out their return.

"Well that went better than expected," Sabo said pleasantly as they stepped into his room once again, finally freed from the dinner table and allowed to retreat for the remainder of the night.Once again he was surprised by their hospitality and how willingly they'd listened to Koala’s reasons for arriving. The family had welcomed her warmly when they learned she was only there looking for Sabo. And of course they'd all been curious to find out more about her and how they knew each other with Thatch unhelpfully throwing in comments here and there about how they were clearly dating.

"Are they always like that?" Koala asked, all but collapsing onto Sabo's bed. To Sabo it was clear to see how dinner had exhausted her with how lively it had been, and she was still recovering from the shock of how much chaos Luffy had caused just by stealing food.

"Pretty much," Sabo agreed, setting his staff down at the foot of the bed and moving to the wardrobe to look through its contents. "It surprised me too–still does. They're all insane and possibly suicidal, but it's actually quite endearing once you get used to it."

"Have you gotten used to it?" Koala asked but before Sabo could answer, she sighed sitting up on the bed and Sabo could feel her eyes burning into the back of his skull. "You can't stay here Sabo you know that don’t you? Even if they are friendly, you're a human and a hunter on top of that, you don't belong here."

The contents in Sabo’s stomach churned as he listened to her, the reasoning he had exhausted for hours on end making him sick to his stomach. He knew that and still he disliked acknowledging it. "I know, I know," he murmured, a frown on his face as he crouched to sift through some drawers.

"They said they'd let me leave once I'm fully recovered, but I'm starting to wonder why I shouldn't just stay. Luffy's here, for one. And I already missed the deadline so it's not like I can return to the hunters either. I know you can't tell due to the bandages, but these burns are pretty bad Koala, I'll never be as good of a fighter as I was before. I'll be labeled a freak on top of being crippled, the hunters don't have any use for me any more."

Ace had perked up once he heard the door opening and closing not too soon after, the voices reaching him clearly even though the wall was a good foot and a half thick. He couldn’t blame the new arrival for being cautious of them and then curious as to how his family was treating her. Even Ace thought they might have been a little _too_ open, but Ace was talking from a biased point of view so he honestly couldn’t say for sure.

A silent snort left Ace, when he heard Sabo mention that his family could be endearingly suicidal that was putting it mildly, his family was the best one around–again from his completely biased view. But from the lack of objection Ace could only guess that she was no longer interested in what the family was like or she had accepted that they were indeed an odd bunch.

But what is it that she _really_ wanted? Ace wondered willing her to speak and keep the conversation going on the other side. Was she there to take Sabo back?

Sure Ace had suggested that Sabo not go and stay to be with Luffy, he had said that so that Luffy would get to keep him around and maybe possibly also so that Ace could keep an eye on Sabo. After all any pain that Sabo experienced from here on out would also be Ace’s pain as well. So to hear that Sabo was considering to stay with so much sincerity was odd. Ace didn’t know what to feel much less what to think.

"Don't say that," Koala said sharply, her tone causing Sabo to look up at her and Ace to furrow his brows where he listened. "You're _not_ a freak. Didn't you always use to say scars are cool?"

"Yeah, but burn scars are different Koala. You look at a knife or sword scar from a fight or something and think 'wow, he's tough and strong and brave even'. But when you look at a burn victim you think 'oh no, what happened to him? That poor soul, I can't imagine being on fire, that must have been _awful_ '. I don't need pity, and I certainly don’t want it Koala. I'll just become a lesson of what happens when you're captured by vampires, I’ll become a mistake.”

Guilt was a pesky thing, Ace had decided that long ago, back in their first lengthy talk he was forced to have with Sabo in his room. Was Ace proud of his actions? No. Of course not, Ace could never be proud of the order he gave, but at the time Sabo was his enemy and Ace was doing what he could to protect Luffy. Ace had been justified to some extent, but something so drastic wasn’t really necessary.

 _I know that I have lived my life with no regrets, can you say the same,_ your highness _?_

Sabo’s words from their first meeting resonated within Ace’s mind and he had to admit, he did regret the order he had given. Ace did not regret it because not doing so would have made Sabo leave faster and heal at a better speed, but because he had not only deformed Sabo for the rest of his life, but also damaged his self esteem. Ace hunched his shoulders and pushed the thought aside, why did he care about the life he may have potentially ruined? Why should he care when no one else cared about the life they destroyed within him, about the life they made his father destroy?

And with that in mind he tuned in to listen once more.

Koala said nothing for a while, knowing Sabo was right. While she never really cared about other's opinion on her, she knew how important it was to Sabo. He liked to make a good first impression on the people he met, and even Koala had found her eyes drifting to Sabo's face and the marred skin there every once in awhile. The moment someone saw him they'd be making assumptions, automatically overriding his actions and judging him, even if it was unintentional. "I don't think you're a mistake," she said simply, but Sabo said nothing; resuming his search.

Koala’s soft words made Ace grimace, he could clearly hear how much she cared about Sabo in those six little words, Thatch’s teasing voice following soon after, ‘ _Hey Izzy you think they look cute together too, don’t you? I mean sure Sabo and his’_ Thatch gestured at Sabo’s entire person _‘uh,personality and the cute spunky redhead, it’s almost like something out of a fairy tale.’_

 _And we’re the monsters,_ Ace thought bitterly, crossing his arms defensively though there was no one there to see him.

Koala sighed, but she knew as much as he that Sabo was still listening to her. "You've really given up on being a hunter? After spending so much time and effort into training, you're just going to give up?"

Sabo bit his lip, thinking on it. "I'm not giving up. I told you I only wanted to be a hunter so I'd be able to protect the people I care about, but it's actually more than just that. I initially joined because I didn't want to lose anybody else the way I lost Luffy. It was more painful than I care to remember, and maybe that's just me over exaggerating it cause I was so young back then, but... Luffy's here. He may be a vampire and he may not even remember me, but he's the main reason I joined in the first place. Now that he's back in my life, what reason do I really have to be a hunter any more?" he asked quietly.

"If you leave, I will too," she said, and Sabo's head snapped up and turned to look at her. His mouth opened to protest her leaving, but Koala shook her head effectively silencing him.

“Sabo don’t. You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this. And honestly, I always thought you were so passionate about being a hunter it’s weird for me to think that you would ever want anything else for yourself. But in those years you inspired me, that’s the reason why I didn’t desert the hunters immediately when I was brought into the ranks by the old Lizard. I admired you from the start, at how strong and kind you were as a little kid and even now you still have that going for ya. And after I gained your respect, we became friends, best friends even so of course we became a team.

When I think with your logic Sabo, well what reason do I have to stay a hunter? I was abandoned by my human parents because they had too many mouths to feed so as the oldest I was kicked out and told to fend for myself. I have no past beef with the vamps, personally I mean. They’re evil at times but then again so are humans so I have no big reason to help them either. We both know that the only reason I stuck around was to help you out, so if you want to leave then why should I stay?”

"What? Koala no, this is my problem, you can't-"

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Sabo-kun," Koala advised lightly though the edge in her voice was clear.

"You only stayed for Luffy, and like I said, I've only stayed this long for you. You're my best friend, I don't have anybody else or any real reason to stay." she shrugged.

There it was again, that intangible sensation of guilt and no matter how much Ace tried, he could not get rid of it, and thanks to his annoying Inclination, the feeling of guilt was much stronger within Ace. But not only that, there was also an unidentified wrong and unwanted feeling reeling within Ace the more he listened to the two humans. The ugly twisting feeling of something caught between rage towards the weasel and a near possessiveness towards Sabo made Ace frown, not wanting to feel these things. But the truth of the matter remained and they were there to stay even if he didn’t want them to.

Ace was Sabo’s soulmate, and he knew that he was often reminded that being soulmates didn’t have to meant anything more than just being able to feel one another’s pain. Did it matter if they were involved with one another in different ways like friends? Did it matter if they pursued different people in life? Ace guessed not considering that Sabo wasn’t even playing for his team to begin with, not that Ace cared in the least. Ace had never wanted to get close to Sabo so why should anyone care what Sabo does and who he sees, Ace didn’t care that was for sure.

And yet, she was leaving the hunters _for_ him. She had only stuck around for _Sabo_. And Sabo _still_ denied that there was anything between him and the weasel?

Ace was not believing it for one second, maybe it wasn’t made official as of yet, but it was definitely something going on between the two ex-hunters. So now that she met the family too would she want to stay as well? Ace hoped not, he still disliked her and now he trusted her even less for reasons he could not yet understand. Koala, he decided there and then, was a nuisance.

On the other side of the wall, Sabo shook his head, "Koala, I can't ask you to do that for me. You still have a normal life ahead of you, you can't just give it up."

"And you do too!" Koala insisted. "I can understand you not wanting to go back to the hunters, but that doesn't mean you're stuck here for the rest of your life. I know you're still up in the air about all of this, but we're not kids any more. We can survive on our own, we could live on the coast like you've always wanted, or we could go south, back home. We haven't seen the others in what, 5 years now? I actually miss them, believe it or not."

Sabo continued staring at Koala, surprise unwilling to leave him. He knew she was right, there was nothing really stopping them from dropping out of the ranks and going home, but the idea was strange to him. He'd admittedly become attached to the people in the castle at some point during his stay, and then there was still the whole problem that he didn't want to leave Luffy again so soon. "What would we do if we did, not go back I mean?"

Koala shrugged in response. "There's plenty of things we've always wanted to do, I'm just putting the option out there."

Sabo stood silently, moving over to where Koala was sitting and pulled her up into a hug, not knowing what to say. To think that he had a friend willing to do so much for him, it was indescribable. "Thank you," he murmured quietly, and he could practically feel Koala roll her eyes.

"Sentimental idiot," she muttered under her breath, but hugged him back regardless.

Ace had heard enough, with an angry scowl he pushed away from the wall and took off. The anger and whatever that other feeling was continued to well up and rage within Ace to the point that he thought he would be unable to contain himself if he stayed there. Ace forgot all about the need to gather information and stalked out of the hidden passage, slipping the blending wall back into place and continuing back down a hallway until he shouldered against a guards that was patrolling the area

Ace muttered a half hearted apology and about ten yards later Izo appeared before Ace. Her honey eyes reflecting back concern for her brother, though before she could ask what was wrong Ace shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it Izo, it’s nothing.” Ace grumbled sullenly and made it past two steps before she pulled him into an embrace, “Oh dear, it is not nothing. I can feel the turmoil from three stories down. Ace? Acey look at me.” She spoke softly attempting to lift his head and downcast eyes, but Ace wouldn’t have it.

Turning his chin away Ace pushed her hand away unwilling to see the concern he knew would be in her eyes, “I’m serious Izo. It’s nothing, now leave it alone.”

“Ace…” Izo whispered again, but continued to push the matter “Talk to me Acey.”

“There’s nothing to talk about Izo! I’m sorry that you have to listen to whatever everyone else feels, but that doesn’t make it your job to help us through them, okay.” Ace snapped then glaring up to his sister who attempted to mask her hurt with surprise.

Recovering quickly enough, Izo opened her mouth to say more but Ace cut her off, “Just stop meddling-”

“ _Ace_.” The freckled vampire jerked and turned to level his heated glare at Thatch who had been the one to cut him off. “Stop it Ace, before you say something you’ll regret.”

And there it was, the name of one of the most prominent feelings within Ace, “I regret nothing.” he hissed and slipped out of Izo’s hold ignoring the calling of his name as he bounded up the stairs aiming to go to the roof where he usually went when he needed to sort through his feelings.


	23. Chapter 23

"Come _on_ Sabo! I know you can do this, try again," Koala pressed, lunging at Sabo again. He ducked beneath her sword and swept his staff towards her in a low arc, intending to knock her off her feet. But Koala easily jumped over it and took the chance to plant her foot between Sabo's shoulders, forcing him to the ground underneath her as she landed.

Sabo growled and rolled out from under her, brandishing his staff once more as he stood in a crouch. "Again," he commanded, and Koala sighed.

"We've been doing this for hours Sab, shouldn't we give it a break?" she asked, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. Ever since her arrival at the castle, Sabo and Koala had taken to training together on the grounds outside almost daily. It was a new kind of therapy for Sabo, and it was helping him get his body back into fighting shape now that the wounds themselves had mostly healed.

But it was also exhausting and incredibly frustrating at times. Not to mention that at the end of every session he was left sore and aching, but Sabo was determined to not give up. The pair easily fell into familiar training routines that had to be adjusted to his healing body. Sabo was aware that he was much slower than he'd been before and his movements limited by the burns but he knew that with more work he could get back to a semblance of what used to be his prime.

Fighting with only one eye was very difficult, Sao had discovered in their very first three minutes of sparring. He was used to _seeing_ his opponents movements, so when that was taken away, he had thought it would be easier to resort to his hearing. But that was easier said than done. Sabo found that he still relied heavily on his eyesight and that lead to slower movements and a huge hinderance. So Sabo was trying his best to find a balance between the his limited eyesight and trying to hone his listening skills as best he could, and yet doing so was still proving to be a struggle, but Koala was there to help him figure it out.

"Again," Sabo repeated, but Koala shook her head after a moment, sheathing her sword.

"Nope, we've done enough today," she said, glancing at the setting sun. "It's going to get cold soon and the last thing you need is to get sick."

Sabo sighed but knew better than to argue. Reluctantly he nodded and straightened slinging his staff over his shoulder. It was irritating how well she could read him at times, but in all honesty he really appreciated that about her, even though he wouldn’t be admitting it any time soon.

“Wait you’re done? That’s not fair Teddy! When is it gonna be my turn? I’m strong too.” Luffy pouted from where he was swinging on a tree branch, watching the training session upside down.

“Pineapple and Acey let me fight with them all the time, and so does Mr. Mustache, and everyone else!” Luffy announced not at all bragging about his many fights, or at least not yet. “You promised it was my turn next and I can’t ask Acey, cuz Acey is being weird right now, he makes this funny face. Shishishi.” Luffy chuckled imitating Ace’s face of annoyance as best he could.

“So can I Teddy? Please? Let me go next.” the child pleaded letting go of the branch and landing steadily on his feet before rushing at her and latching onto her leg, “I promise I won’t ask again.”

Koala paused, biting her lip. And Sabo had to chuckle as he saw that she was clearly tired, while Luffy was just buzzing with excited energy. Unfortunately, for and exhausted Koala, children had always been her weakness, especially cute begging children with big puppy eyes. Koala looked to Sabo for help, but Sabo could only offer her a shrug leaving the choice up to her.

"Alright, but I'm stopping once the sun is down," Koala relented quickly, turning her attention back to Sabo. "I'll catch up with you later?"

Sabo nodded and slipped inside with a wave to the two. He was tired as hell and had all the intention of going up to his room for a much-needed shower and well deserved rest. And his plan would have worked, had it not been for the slow-burning irritation creeping up on him. Ace was upset again.

Sabo sighed, adjusting the strap on his staff. Ace had been avoiding him even more than usual ever since Koala discovered the castle and, but after more than a week it was getting ridiculous.

And though Sabo wanted nothing more than to relax in a hot shower and get all the sweat off of his person before indulging in some sleep, he knew he couldn’t just continue ignoring the matter and Ace. So Sabo reluctantly set out to find the freckled vampire, which turned out to be aimless wandering about the castle for the most part. Ace wasn't in his bedroom nor the kitchen, and that pretty much ruled out everywhere Sabo would think he could be. Luckily, Sabo ran into Marco not too long after he peeked into a sitting room. Marco didn’t ask why exactly Sabo was seeking Ace out, but a small nearly invisible smile was still on his lips as he suggested that Ace may be on the roof.

While Sabo had been enjoying the daily spars that came with Koala arriving at the castle, Ace was was forced to deal with the repercussions of their daily training regimen. The constant burn and heaviness to his muscles took some getting used to especially when he was trying to concentrate on his work. But after about four days or so he learned tolerate it, that of course did not mean that he liked to be included in their extraneous activities.

Ace’s protesting muscles didn’t help him in the least when he felt inspired to finally finish one of his works and they certainly did nothing to help his mood. Ace was constantly moody–as he had been when he had first arrived at the castle over two centuries ago–and everyone in the castle had become highly aware of the fact. And their knowing had of course lead to more concern on their part, but Ace would deny them any explanation as to why he was frustrated, angry and in a generally bad mood and move on.

It wasn’t as if he could actually give them an answer to their questions, when Ace himself didn’t know the root of his own feelings. All Ace knew was that it had begun the night that the pesky weasel had decided to come sniffing Sabo out and decided to stay.

Thus Ace had resorted to retreating to his place of solitude more and more often whenever he needed to cool down, which was pretty much every hour of the day. His green eyes looked over to the horizon and watched as the sun seemed to light the surrounding mountain tops with a fire-like halo, outlining them with bright crimson red and deep oranges while above them the shroud of night engulfed the rest of the sky. Ace had always been fascinated with the rising and setting of the sun. He could appreciate how the simple act of the sun ascending and descending could create so many new and beautiful colors, just watching the sky was soothing to Ace and it helped him get his mind off of topics he rather not think of.

Countless times he had tried to recreate what he saw up in his sanctuary, and every time there was an element missing to his design. Of course improvement was made over the years, but only marginally so. Looking at the scene before him once more, Ace knew he would have to try again, even if his hands protested heavily at his actions.

And with that thought, Ace resolved to capture that particular sunset while there was still some light in the sky. He flipped to a new page on an old leather bound book and tucked the orange hued pencil behind his ear, quickly sketching the scene with a light yellow and moving in with the darker colors trying to forget the pain in his arms and the continued turmoil within himself.

It took a while for Sabo to find the entrance to the roof, but after about ten minutes he was rewarded by the sight of Ace sitting at the edge of the castle. He could see that Ace was facing the sunset but his head was all wrong, downcast instead of focused on the sunset. Sabo quietly crossed the distance between them and stopped only a few feet away. It was at that point that Sabo could see a sketch pad in Ace’s lap and Sabo wondered if it would be better to just leave Ace alone, but he supposed it was too late now. Ace must’ve heard or at least smelled him by then.

"You've been avoiding me," Sabo said simply, no accusation in his voice just stating a fact.

"Why?" Sabo asked as he took a seat next to Ace, placing his staff at his other side.

If Ace was surprised by Sabo’s sudden appearance, he gave no indication to it. Instead he continued to work in the waning light and got in as much detail as he could before he would have to do it by memory. Years of practice, however, allowed him to speak while concentrating on getting just the right colors where they needed to go. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ace huffed out, his strokes becoming increasingly bolder as his emotions flared with irritation and he was forced to calm them once again.

“I’ve just been tired lately, because one of us keeps overexerting himself to the point of near death.” Ace accused and switched colors again, “So see, not avoiding. Tired.”

"Well I'm not going to recover by sitting around all day.” Sabo said quickly and sighed, “But yeah, sorry about that, believe it or not, but I’ve actually been trying to tone it down," he apologized, knowing the training wasn't particularly fair to Ace.

Sabo would have said something earlier, if it hadn't been for the small problem that he hadn't had a chance to talk with Ace once in the past few days. "But what you fail to realize is that it takes effort to avoid someone, especially when that particular someone isn't confined to their bed any more."

Ace grunted in response to the apology, he wasn’t looking for one and he wasn’t entirely blaming Sabo for his need to get better soon and to become stronger with his new found disability. “No, it just means that we haven’t been in the same place at the same time is all.” Ace retorted never once looking up.

“I can’t just wait out in the halls or the kitchen and wait for you to suddenly show up so we can catch up. It’s a big castle and believe it or not I have things to do.” Ace stated with a small roll of his shoulders.

“So now you know.” Ace added, sounding slightly bitter even to his own ears. “And if it makes you feel any better, I guess I’m sorry I’ve been busy and preoccupied in other places while you and the weasel have your fun.”

Sabo rolled his eyes at the lame excuses he was hearing from the moody vampire. Was he honestly chalking it all up to differing schedules and a large castle? "Well whatever you want to call it, to me it’s evasion. You've been so irritated that I can literally feel it too, Ace. Busy as you may be, there's more going on.” He continued to press and frowned.

Could it be Koala the one that had him on edge? Her involvement was the only explanation Sabo could think of, but it honestly made sense. She had just shown up out of the blue, a strange human and a hunter, two of any vampire's least favorite things. Not to mention that had been the starting point of Ace’s sudden behavior. Sabo could assume that naturally Ace would be wary of her, but the others had accepted her easily enough, Sabo was beginning to wonder if Ace just had an aversion to change. A habit that made him avoid his problems would explain quite a bit, actually.

So, Sabo ventured on the hunch, “Is it Koala?"

Ace jerked away almost as if he had been struck by some physical force rather than a verbal comment, he felt heat begin to creep up his neck but was quick to duck his head again and fix his eyes on the lines he had possibly made too dark.

“No, what would ever give you the idea that I’m seemingly avoiding you over a little weasel?” Ace grumbled the frown on his features clearly suggesting otherwise.

“And I’m not calling it anything that it isn’t I really have been busy and tired lately.” he added though much less convincingly.

“Luffy likes her, so why should I not tolerate her?” Ace added, careful not to say like, because truth be told, she was higher on Ace’s ‘ _People and Things I don’t like_ ’ list than Sabo had been when they had first met.

"Because being busy started right after she showed up?" Sabo said skeptically. "You might even like her if you ever actually talked to her and she's definitely not considering on staying here for more than a few months, so what is there to lose?"

“A lot of things piled up when I was doing research with Marco, so it took me some time to get back to it.” Ace lied easily and with the last remnants of sunlight finished a tree before placing the art medium back where it belonged in its case filled with a variety of colored pencils.

“Why should I get to know her then if she’s leaving then?” he asked in return.

"That's not the point here Ace, I have a feeling you’d like her if you ever came out of hiding and actually talked to her. Think of her like a cross between Thatch, Haruta, and maybe some Izo." Sabo supplied with a soft snort at the comparison

“So she’s basically Izo and Thatch’s love baby godmothered by Haruta, lovely.” Ace stated dryly and hummed. “Yeah, no I don’t think that’s how it’d go. Should Izo and Thatch ever decide to extend a family the kid wouldn’t be like anything like the weasel.”

“And if that’s not the point then what is?” Ace asked finally meeting Sabo’s blue eye with his own green pair.

“Will she be coming back to the castle at some point? Or is it because I should get to know the human I need to trust won’t get you and me killed?” Ace asked trying but failing to keep the irritation out of his tone and turned away before Sabo could see the settling anger in his eyes.

"Of course she's not going to get us killed.” Sabo said with a small dismissive way of his hand, “She and I are both experienced hunters, we can take care of ourselves you know.”

“You don’t know that.” Ace replied quietly, “You don’t know what will happen when and if you choose to leave these walls, if Luffy can take her what’s to stand between you and something else?” He asked looking at Sabo through the corner of his eye.

“No one really knows the outcome of anything Ace, but trust me when I say that we can take care of ourselves out there. But that isn’t what I was asking, if it’s Koala, you have to let me know so we can work it out. I don't know what reason do you need to like someone? It's just nice?" he asked, confused by Ace’s complete aversion to meet his friend.

"The only alternative is wanting to hate her and yeah you have reasons to not like her but you don't even know her. To hate her wouldn’t be very fair, she could be completely different from how you expect." He continued to press, though keeping his tone light, not wanting to rile up the vampire more than he already was.

“Why do you care if she and I get along anyway?” Ace asked and the thought that slammed into him nearly made him reel with a sudden sensation of betrayal and anger and other feelings he did not know the names to in that moment. “Do you just want us to get along because you and I are connected? We share the same pain, but that doesn’t mean that we have to share everything in our lives. Who your friends are is your tale not mine”

Again Sabo could feel the flare of emotions that came from the freckled man next to him, it was a sea of turmoil he was having some trouble deciphering. But he didn’t let that deter him from the conversation.

"She's been my best friend for the long time, can you blame me for wanting people to like her? I don't know what you mean by sharing everything, but as hard as you may try, you're not a complete asshole," Sabo smiled. "I'm sharing my thoughts on Koala though because I want to, not because I feel like I'm obligated to. I don't hate you Ace, and I don't think you hate me anymore either. So you can see why I fail to see why you would hate someone you’ve had little to no contact with."

“Why?” It was the first word that came out of Ace’s mouth as he whirled his head to snap in Sabo’s direction. But before he could say anything more, he snapped his mouth shut with an audible click of his teeth.

Ace’s eyes said it all though, _Why wouldn’t you hate me?_

Ace knew for a definite fact that Sabo didn’t resent him in the least even though he had every right to do so. Izo had told Ace countless times that Sabo didn’t hate him for what he had done, but every time she said that Ace had chalked it up to her being deceived by Sabo because Ace refused to believe that he would ever be forgiven for what he had done. But would Sabo really be here with Ace _alone_ on the roof with him if he didn’t trust Ace? Would he be in a place where all Acee would have to do was push Sabo and knock him off the roof, odds of his own death be damned? Would Sabo really be there if he truly did hate Ace?

“Does she even know?” Ace asked quietly changing the subject slightly, “You do realize that the moment she knows that I was the one who gave the order for your torture” _death_ , “it won’t be sunshine and rainbows, she will want to kill me and that will only hurt you in the process.”

Sabo closed his eyes, leaning back as he thought on how to word what his mindset had been back then in the cells when he had provoked Ace into ordering what he did.

"What happened that day was just as much my fault as it was yours. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't egged you on, but I was just so _angry_ with everything. I wanted to die, in fact I was ready to die. Well… actually I didn't actually _want_ to die per say, but I figured that by that point death was inevitable, so I might as well go out on my own terms. And I guess... maybe a small part of me didn't feel like I deserved to live after seeing what Luffy had become because of my failure," Sabo said softly, hesitantly.

He knew this was dangerous grounds he was treading, opening up some of his most private thoughts to Ace like this, but Sabo had always been too honest for his own good and he wasn’t about to change now. And maybe it was this whole soulmate thing messing with his head, but Sabo wanted Ace to trust him, and possibly even to like him.

"No, she doesn't know. I haven't even told her about the link either in case you’re wondering. How am I even supposed to explain that my soulmate of all people did this? You're right in assuming that she'd want to kill you, and then she would insist that we _have_ to leave. She's always been overprotective and stubborn, there'd be no changing her mind," Sabo sighed, playing with his gloves as a distraction. "I know I'm a naive idiot, you don't need to tell me."

“Yeah you’re an idiot, but for many other reasons.” Ace conceded and mulled over the rest of his explanation.

Sabo was blaming himself even though the whole thing had been and will forever be on Ace’s shoulders alone. It was true that Sabo had proverbially poked the caged bear and unleashed Ace’s anger, but honestly Ace couldn’t fault him for that, no matter what his reasons were.

“That’s all the more reason why I _shouldn’t_ talk to her. If I were to befriend her now, and then some way the truth comes to life, then… I would be betraying whatever happens from what is achieved through the talk you want me to have with her.” Ace reasoned turning his eyes back to the sky.

“Besides, I can barely handle one human in my life, I don’t need another.” Ace added, taking his time in figuring out what he wanted to say next. “I can… appreciate your wanting to share what little of your world you have here, but I don’t _want_ to be more involved in your world any more than I have to be, I no longer belong there and I don’t ever want to.”

"Why do you have to make it sound so reasonable," Sabo muttered, conceding to Ace’s reasons for not meeting Koala. "Fair enough. Why do you hate humans so much though, if I can ask? Izo told me that you weren't born a vampire."

“Because I am wise beyond my years.” Ace rolled his eyes at his own sarcastic remark and immediately shut his mouth when he was asked about his undeniable hatred towards humans.

“You can ask, doesn’t mean I‘ll answer.” Ace muttered giving a snort, “But yeah, no I wasn’t born one, only a handful of people in the castle were born a vampire, Marco for one.”

"Yeah, I remember you saying that. All that wisdom shows, truly," Sabo said, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "But, I want to know now, and dare I say you owe me?"

Ace pressed his lips together and said nothing for a long time, debating with himself on just getting up and walking away, no matter what Sabo thought Ace didn’t _owe_ him his life story, yes he owed for what he had done but… Ace gulped and figured that yes he did owe Sabo an explanation that would shed some light to his initial hate for Sabo.

Pulling the sketch book onto his lap, Ace leafed through the sketchbook until he came to the one sketch he held closest to his heart. Ace hesitated for a moment and passed the book over to Sabo, the pages open to where a woman in her late twenties was depicted. Ace’s eyes went over the picture, and for the trillionth time he traced over the every detail he could see under the moonlight. The woman in the sketch had clear green eyes not unlike his, the kind smile she wore reflecting within them as the air around her made her long strawberry blonde hair swirl about her face and shoulders while she stood in front of a red hibiscus garden.

“They took her from me.” Ace whispered finally. “And they did it happily, without a second thought or sign of remorse.”

Sabo frowned, carefully taking the notebook and studying the woman. She looked kind, gentle, and soft, if that made any sense. Maybe it was the pastel colors used or how the wind played in her hair and dress, but Sabo could tell she was important to Ace, even if he hadn't said anything. "Who is she?"

Ace didn’t want to say anything to that, for years he had honored her memory in silence, he had allowed her to remain his secret; more or less. The people who needed to know knew about her, but everyone else was not welcome in his past. They had heard about her sure, but never seen his works of her. No those were what Ace kept to himself.

And yet here he was showing her image to a human and hunter no less. “She was my mother.” The words left Ace in a hushed whisper and his shoulders fell, “Her name was Rogue, and over two centuries ago, she, my father, and I lived together,”

Ace reached over a flipped the pages over to a new picture where a large man with just as big of a mustache hugged his mom from behind, both of them smiling happily to the viewer. “His name was Roger.”

“I got his eyes and hair, but I got my mom’s freckles.” he said softly reaching up to brush his fingers over the freckles he knew dusted his cheek. “I was glad when my eyes were no longer gray but had turned green, I would have loved it if I had been given her hair too, more to remember her by, but I was never fate’s favorite child as you can imagine.” he said with a half hearted snort.

“Now Roger…” Ace shrugged, looking up to the ascending moon, “I have fond memories of the man, but I will never again call him my father. It was just as much his fault that my mom died as the humans, so you can imagine the little love I have for people named Roger as well,” Ace said looking back to Sabo, “Which is why I’m glad you didn’t have that name on top of being human. Then I would be sure the whole thing was a cruel joke from hell itself.”

Sabo said nothing as Ace spoke of his mother and father. He knew all too well the pain of losing your family, and it saddened Sabo to hear that Ace had gone through the same thing, to some extent. "How old were you?"

Ace had been hoping to end the conversation then and there, to leave it alone and not have to live through the entire thing all over again. But no, the sealed door had been nudged open and the emotions behind it pushed through. Ace took a long time to answer, biting his tongue until the pain reminded him that it was no longer his pain to keep.

“I was ten. Nine when Roger got a dangerous fascination with vampires, he was originally a sailor merchant. He tended to leave me and my mom alone at home while he went on his travels, not that I minded a lot back then, and my mom missed him, but she always knew he would come back to her, so she was happy. In his travels, the shithead encountered a particular vampire, one who showed him his power and offered it to him, should he choose to take it.

“Roger didn’t take it then, he came back instead and started telling my mom all about this man, spouting stories about how he too could become one of them, he was already walking on a thin line with the rest of the village, because he traded with them, spoke to them and sympathized with some of them whenever they were caught and executed in the village. But never had a vampire reached out and offered Roger a chance to be them, and I don’t know if he had ever asked before that only to get turned down.

“Mom of course was wary of the entire situation, but she didn’t discourage Roger, I remember that she smiled sadly and kissed his cheek, and the next day he left for another voyage. He stayed away for seven months, no doubt learning how to control himself around humans, he was risking a lot by living next to his human wife and son after all. So he comes back and mom was so very happy to see him, and I was too. Roger was back and mom said he was all better now, to this day I don’t know what she meant by that, but I guess she was just repeating what he had said. She told me everything would be okay.”

Ace shook his head letting out a bark of a laugh, void of all humor and filled with contempt, “She was wrong, so utterly wrong. Back then, in those times the war between man and vampire was already set in stone, about four or five decades in; and our village was no exception. Roger was able to keep up his human facade for three weeks before he fucked up and was caught drinking from a farmer’s goat, all because he hadn’t been able to find game in the surrounding forest. So the town erupted.”

Ace paused pulling one knee up for him to rest his chin on and letting his hair be a barrier between him and Sabo. “They saw it as nothing more than him selling his soul to the demons. It was the last thing the village was willing to take from him, it was the last straw. That day they let him go though, and let him be oblivious to the fact that someone had seen him. He never even knew that he had been spotted that day. It wasn’t until that same night that they came.” Ace stopped himself again, his hands tightening around his forearms as the memory resurfaced, the phantom fire dancing across his vision.

Still he worked around the forming lump in his throat, “They never would have been able to take down a fledgling vampire alone even with their numbers, so they set a fire, burning the house we lived in. The smoke was everywhere, and I could hear my mom yelling for me as she tore the sheets off and pulled me out of bed, urging me to step outside away from the fire and the smoke. The bastards smoked us out. And they caught us. Mom and I were locked in a room with no windows and a single exit, we were given just enough to live and mom refused to eat in order to feed me. We stayed in there for who knows how long, mom counted three days from the food that was rationed, and as it turned out how ever long we were in there, Roger was in his own cage starving.

“‘ _The vampire requires blood_ ,’ they jested when they pulled my mom and me out of our confines. ‘ _This is what you wanted isn’t it? To feed off of innocent lives, Roger? So let’s give you one last meal before we send you back to where your damned wretched soul belongs_.’ And they did as they promised.” Ace closed his eyes willing the laughs that resonated in his ears to go away.

“They tore me away from my mom. A crying child of ten was forced to watch as his mom was shoved at Roger his eyes unfamiliar and filled with things of nightmares. The bastard didn’t even hesitate when he sunk his teeth into her, he started drinking and he didn’t stop, my mother though, she was stronger than they gave her credit for, she was trying hard not to scream in pain and instead she told me to run. So I did, I don’t know how I managed it, I kicked, scratched, tore, and bit until the guy let go and I ran.

“They of course weren’t going to let a demonic little child go so they gave chase. I ran until I thought I would die if I stopped, and that’s when I was rescued. Marco came in and from what he tells me, there was no one following me any more. But I suspect that anyone who did follow that night never made it back to the village. Marco brought me to the castle and I _begged_ him, I begged Oyaji to make my heart stop beating, to make it stop hurting. I didn’t want to be like _them_ I didn’t want to grow up being like the humans who killed my mom; But they refused me for twelve years until I was given what I wanted…” he trailed off pretty sure Sabo knew the ending from there on out without his needing to explain.

Things were sliding into place in Sabo's mind, but he'd never expected that to be the reason for Ace's hatred of humans. Sabo found himself picking out subtle parallels between Ace and himself. When something that awful happened to somebody so young, it left scars, regardless of the circumstances. Things like that left people lonely, scared, betrayed, and Sabo didn't need some magical soulmate link to tell that was only a shadow of what Ace was currently feeling.

Sabo cautiously leaned his head on Ace's shoulder, not sure how the vampire would react to being touched. He cast his gaze up to the sky, watching the stars and the moon as Ace's gaze was directed downwards.

"I was six," Sabo said after a moment, not wanting to offer up cheap condolences that meant nothing ultimately. "I don't have a picture to show you, but she was tall, and warm with short blonde hair. She was beautiful like your mom, but a total tomboy. She despised wearing dresses and acting like a lady, I probably got my stubbornness from her. My father was a lot of fun, he always loved playing with me and spoiling me–they both did. He always did what he could to help others, I couldn't tell you how many times he'd invited strangers to stay at our home because they had nowhere else to go.

"There wasn't any reason to it when they died. We were heading home from the park at night, and a vampire just jumped at us from the shadows. He broke my mother's neck, she died instantly. But my father–" Sabo swallowed with some difficulty but continued on, the memory playing out in front of him as if it had just happened.

"He tried to fight back, to protect me, but the vampire took him down too like it was nothing. He didn't even drink from them, he killed my parents for fun, just because he could. The only reason I'm still alive is because a hunter nearby heard the screams and saved me. Dragon-san.

"He took me away from there, to his home in another village, and that's where I met Luffy, his son. Luffy was annoying as hell and the complete opposite of his father. And I hated him for having the privilege of being so naive and innocent when I'd lost everything. I resented him for being happy," Sabo spoke softly.

"Luffy never left me alone, though. He never let me _be_ alone. He always said that there was nothing worse than being alone, and even though his mother had died giving birth to him, he had an entire family in the other villagers. Luffy had everything he ever needed, and I was jealous. It took me a while to come around, but eventually I began to think of Luffy and Dragon-san as my second family, and the other villagers as well to a lesser extent.

"And… in time, I was happy again. I never thought I'd be able to be happy again after the park, but I was, for the next two years. And then one day, Luffy disappeared from home, sometime in the morning while everybody was still asleep. It was spring, he was probably wanting to go pick flowers for Makino.

"I only ever found his shoe in the forest, in a puddle of blood. Finding that, it hurt like _hell,_ " Sabo ground out, his hands clenching into fists at his side. "To lose another family member so soon, it almost ruined me for good. But not Luffy, nor my mom or dad would have wanted me to be sad and alone, so I decided to train to become a hunter, so I wouldn't have to lose anybody else ever again. I met Koala when I was eleven, Dragon-san picked her up off the streets after she tried to rob him, of all things. I don't know if it reminded me of something my father would have done but my respect for him grew even more that day. Koala and I, we've been friends ever since. Thatch has it all wrong you know. Dating Koala would be like dating my sister." Sabo shook his head at the thought.

"But.. there you go. Now you know everything you never wanted to."


	24. Chapter 24

Ace had listened, respectfully saying nothing as Sabo had done when he had laid his soul bare. He hadn't even flinched and shied away from Sabo when he had laid his head on his shoulder. All the while he had discreetly wiped the tears away from the corner of his eyes.

“Some part of me knows all humans aren't evil just as all vampires aren't peaceful, but it's…” Ace trailed off biting his lower lip, his brow creasing in thought. “Marco once called it a phobia of sorts, I don't get crippling fear per say but I do get angry. My early vampire years were by far the worst, the reinforced door in my room, and the windows are not there for decoration as you might have guessed but because I was meant to be kept in. Oyaji lives in the past when humans and vampires got along, he believes it's still possible and every now and then he invites humans over for a barrel of mead.

“Just the scent of them had me shaking with anger in my room, I was known throwing myself at the door and windows along with the walls, I clawed at the door and walls like the caged animal I was. Even after so many years I couldn't… _can't_ forgive them for what they did. Those villagers are long gone, their children's fifth generation probably having children or grandchildren and acting on them wouldn’t be fair. I _know_ that they’re long gone, but I see her everyday. The day Izo locked us in the room together, you witnessed one of my narcoleptic attacks. Sometimes when I'm waking up from one of them I revisit that time, I see her telling me to go, I _hear_ them cursing, screaming, _laughing_ and I can't… I can't let go, that's why.” Ace laughed, the sound sounding broken even to himself.

“That’s why I didn't want to believe you and me were meant to be soulmates, it was why I wanted you gone, and why I wanted you away from Luffy so badly. Even though I could see how much you care about him, I didn't want to recognize that, even though I could see it plain as day in your eyes, that day in the cells. I thought of how could you possibly love Luffy when I knew love amongst humanity was lost? And then you had to be a jerk and make everyone care about you, and they just had to return the favor.”

“I believed you were a threat to Luffy, but then I saw how much he loved you too, Luffy is quick to trust people, but he's not so quick to love if that makes any sense. He adored you, and even though I couldn't understand why, I knew that the moment he loved you like that you had become family to him. I couldn't just get rid of you the, because if I did, I would have been just as much of a monster as those people if I ripped you away from Luffy. So when you left I was relieved because you had made the choice for me and I hadn't been forced to do it. But when you came back and I saw Luffy smiling brightly as he spoke about you, unknowing of your leave, I realized that he cared too much and I should accept that he would want you around. That's why I agreed much less violently to hearing you out when Izo came to me that morning. I really didn't know about the locked door, though.”

Ace swallowed and let a small smile come to him, “So now you know why I am the asshole I _pretend_ to be as you put it… And Sabo? Thank you.” Ace said much more quietly not registering that he had used Sabo's name aloud for the first time since meeting him. What Ace was thanking him for? Ace didn't have a set answer, he supposed he was thanking Sabo for everything, finding Luffy and taking care of him, for not hating him as he had all rights to do, for listening and not commenting, for opening up and giving Ace a new point of view he was still reluctant to side with. He was thanking him for everything and nothing at the same time, Ace was in no way ready to forgive humanity for their wronging his mom, but he would make an exception for him as long as Sabo continued to care for Luffy.

"You don't have to let go, Ace. You _shouldn't_ let go. What happened was awful, worse than that even. It was evil, but the experience is a part of you now and it helped in shaping who you are now. You can't live in the past, but you can't entirely renounce it either. For me, at some point I learned how to focus on the good things that had happened, and use the bad ones as a way to push myself to keep fighting so they would never happen again. Remember the past, but focus on the future. It was the only way I could live with myself after everything." He dipped his head in acknowledgement, recognizing Ace's words as an apology of sorts.

A light fluttering rose in Ace’s chest, pushing away the uncertainty and unknown feeling away leaving warmth in its wake as he listened to Sabo’s words, advice about dealing with his demons. But wanting to move on from the darkness of his past, Ace rounded to the earlier reassurance of Sabo and Koala’s relationship.

Ace snorted softly. “As for the whole thing with you and the weasel, I don't think you need to convince me here, tell it to Thatch. But I'm telling you now it's a lost cause, he’s already set sail to the Saboala ship.” Ace chuckled embracing the warm sensation building up in his chest.

"I've tried telling him for the past _week and a half_! And I entirely blame Koala for the fact that he doesn't believe me. She has it out for me, I'm telling you," Sabo groaned cursing the chef for his shipping.

“So, then she _does_ like you?” Ace mused, face neutral though the little nagging feeling in his chest continued to make itself known.

"Not romantically, for the 200th time," Sabo sighed, rolling his eyes. "It would be like dating my sister, just weird and wrong. We know each other far too well to be able to put up with each other. Why, is somebody jealous?" Sabo teased, nudging Ace's side playfully.

“No.” Ace said it too suddenly and too sharply to even convince himself. “I mean, you might see it that way but does she? Not that I care,” he muttered, ignoring the pink tint and warmth that came over his cheeks.

"Sure, I really believe you now," Sabo hummed, a knowing smile on his face. It was actually quite flattering to think that Ace of all people was jealous, Sabo wanted to mess with him. "What would you say if she does? Since you don't care. A completely hypothetical question here." He put on a mask of innocent curiosity, watching for Ace's reaction.

“Why are you even doing up here?” Ace asked flustered, trying changing the subject all too suddenly no longer wanting to linger on that subject either, “It can't be all too warm for you up here, you should head back. Your pretend girlfriend must be looking for you.”

"I came up here looking for you, obviously. My pretend girlfriend can take care of herself."

“So you admit she is your girlfriend,” Ace said, using his selective hearing and trying and failing to keep the pout from his tone. “And I really don't care, if she likes you well then good for both of you, just make sure you don't make her angry or I'll beat your ass too.”

"Why! You don't even care, remember?" Sabo rebutted. "I don't know of any other way to say no other than no, do you need me to tattoo “I'm not interested in Koala romantically’ onto everyone's forehead to get it through your thick skulls or what?"

“I don't! But whatever hurt she deals on you comes back to me, so I'd get you back for that,” Ace huffed and frowned, “Though I don't see how you can successfully tattoo me when the pain would be hurting you too. But fine, fine. We've established that you don't like her, so that's why I don't understand.” Ace muttered.

If Sabo truly didn't like Koala as he claimed then why was he keeping two key things from his best friend? “Why haven't you told her the real reason of why you were originally kept out of the cells, the one that doesn't have to do with Luffy.”

"Right.. I meant what I said earlier you know, I really don't know how I'd go about saying it. What am I _supposed_ to say?" he asked and in his best mock cheerful voice he had, he said "'Oh hey Koala, I'm magically linked to a vampire, we're soulmates! He hates everything I stand for, but that's okay, we're meant to be together even though I haven't talked to him for the past week! Also he's partially the reason I've been horribly scarred and unlikely to fully recover but oh well, there you go let's have lunch!'"

Sabo shook his head, resting his face in his hand as the cheery demeanor fell. "Are you serious? I can't just drop that on her. Why? Are you suggesting I _do_ tell her?"

“Yes? It really isn't something you can keep hidden for too long, and if she hears it from someone else, what then?” Ace asked glancing at Sabo curiously.

“Izo has kind of made it a rule that no one should mention it around her, but there's a reason why certain dramatic secrets are kept from Thatch, say anything you want about the guy's food but he adores romantic stories, and he's eating this one up; two bound souls and a potential love interest for one of them comes along.” Ace smiled fondly. “The poor sap is on the edge of his seat wanting to know just how all of this will unfold.

“I'm not saying tell her in that manner, but you know, you can't keep that secret forever, if by chance I ever get hurt and you randomly start wincing in pain in front of her? Or spontaneous bleeding and or broken bones, how would you go around explaining that one? I'm the last person who should be advocating against keeping certain secrets from family, but don't you think she'll be even more mad if she finds out in the worst case scenario days, weeks, or even months from now?” Ace shrugged and ultimately added, “Give it a some thought, maybe. She won't hear it from me though.”

"You're being reasonable again," Sabo muttered, not looking at Ace as he had resumed his habit of playing with his gloves after settling Ace’s sketchbook between them. "I know that I _have_ to tell her at some point, but I've never been good at that type of thing. I figure she'll just have to beat it out of me eventually, that's what usually happens," he confessed a little sheepishly.

“I have a few years of reason tucked in here somewhere, you forget who I live with.” Ace chuckled softly, “Marco made sure to continue my education after my arrival, even if he had to pound the lessons into my head. But should you chose to go down the rougher course, try not to make her too pissed, I swear I got a lump from her first cuff to your head.” He said sulking and rubbing at the phantom hurt. “Damn weasel sure can pack a punch.”

"That wasn't even that bad, you haven't felt when she uses my own staff against me," Sabo grimaced. It only happened once a few years ago, but he was not eager to repeat the experience in the slightest. "But yeah, alright. I'll tell her soon."

Ace hummed, “I am not looking forward to that, and I guess it should be totally fair if I go hunting rabid bears right after, those Grizzlies sure know how to fight back, gets their blood pumping.” Ace grinned not at all giving any indication to whether he was joking or not.

“You're actually trying to kill me! Both of you want me dead," Sabo accused, horrified. As if Koala wasn't enough, now Ace?

Ace laughed at Sabo's look, “I've told you already, if I wanted you dead I would have done it regardless if it did to come bite me in the ass right after, but I don't… want you dead I mean. And it isn't because it can involve my death too.” Ace shrugged, “I ah, guess I like you breathing” he confessed ignoring the persistent heat in his cheeks once more.

"That's almost a compliment, I'm flattered. I would say the same, but you're not exactly breathing any more.." Sabo chuckled.

Ace rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I think that much was established as soon as we met.” He chuckled when a sudden thought entered his mind, sobering him up with curiosity. “Can you feel it? When I crave blood, and when I satisfy it, do you feel it too?”

"Yeah I can, or at least I think I do? You don't exactly let me know when you're hungry, but sometimes I get this weird urge to _do_ something. Eat, train, just walk around, anything. And what happened to this link being about just pain? Emotions and cravings aren't exactly pain," he pointed out, wondering if Ace had noticed it too.

Ace shrugged helplessly, “The pain is what is always mentioned in the books and scriptures, and from the limited recordings we have, not many of them are first hand accounts; so we're not sure if feelings are included in the bond, or if it's because my Inclination makes me feel things much stronger than others. But that wouldn't explain why I could feel your hunger back then. So then you _can_ feel it, when I crave blood.” He said with slight awe, wondering what else…

“Touch me.”

Sabo’s brow furrowed at the sudden request, his earlier curiosity on the subject shifting to confusion. "Touch you?"

“Yes, touch my face.” Ace prompted, turning himself to face Sabo and taking the sketchbook from between them and safely away from the edge. “Don't be a priss, or a perv, I just want to test something out.”

"Wouldn't dream of it," Sabo said lightly, though he had to admit he was now more curious as to what Ace was up to than anything. He tugged off one of his gloves and pressed the back of his hand to Ace's face, as if he was checking the vampire's temperature.

“Can you feel it?” Ace asked then, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “When I was treating you for the tar, I could feel the way my hands felt on your skin as I worked,” he explained, reaching out and pressing his fingers just beneath Sabo's eyepatch.

“I can feel this, I know you can't because of the burns, but can you feel where your hand is?”

Sabo's curiosity morphed into wonder at that and he pressed his hand harder on Ace's forehead. Now that Ace mentioned it, Sabo could actually _feel_ the pressure on his own forehead that disappeared as soon as Sabo pulled his hand away from Ace’s forehead.

"That's so weird," Sabo muttered, trailing his hand down Ace's shoulder and arm, feeling the touch on his own skin, following the very same trail he was making on Ace. It was at that moment that a thought struck him, and Sabo paused. Hesitantly, Sabo brought his hand up underneath Ace's left eye, pressing gently.

Sabo’s face was one of shock and surprise as he very clearly felt a steady pressure on his face, right beneath the eye he'd thought would never feel again.

"I can feel it," he breathed, unable to bring himself to pull his hand away despite the discomfort he suspected Ace must be feeling by his incessant touching. "I can actually feel it."

Ace watched as wonder and joy danced within Sabo's one visible eye, and Ace realized that… He could feel for Sabo, not in the emotional way but in a real and near literal way, how was such a thing possible? Ace no longer knew what wasn't possible with the bond and he was finding that he was okay with not knowing and discovering it along the way, so long as Sabo was there with him.

“I never apologized…” Ace blurted out, his voice soft and uncertain. “Izo must've and Thatch, Marco, and even Oyaji. They all must have apologized for me; but I've never said it in the three and a half weeks since. That day you asked me if I ever regretted doing something. And I was a dick and returned the question. I didn't know it then, but I do now, I regret doing this to you Sabo, you didn't deserve something so drastic despite what I was angry about. I know I can never make it up to you, and nothing I say or do can undo this, but I _do_ regret it… And it hurt like a bitch too, losing an eye was terrifying, I never imagined it would be like this, for those few hours I had to live with those setbacks it was hell, but for you it's forever constant and I'm sorry I can't undo it, I'm sorry I ever went down there and did this to you. I won't ask for you to forgive me Sabo, but I do want you to know that I do regret it and I'll never regret anything more.”

Sabo was surprised, to say the least. The apology was unexpected, but Sabo could feel that Ace meant it- he could actually feel the sincerity behind those words. Sabo had suspected for a while that Ace wasn't proud of giving the order, but hearing it said aloud was a whole other thing. He didn't immediately say anything, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

"I can't say that I forgive you either, because yeah, it ruined a lot for me and painful doesn't even begin to describe what it felt like, but... I think that I would like to forgive you, some day. You can feel it too, can't you? How easy this is between us? I've never been one to live in the past, and you shouldn't either.

"I don't remember saying that, but you should know that there are things I regret too. I regret losing my innocence so young and I regret not being able to protect Luffy the way I should have, but I don't regret the way I've chosen to live my life, even now. This is another shitty thing life's thrown at me, but it's not all bad."

Sabo gave a small, wistful smile, his thumb stroking the skin beneath Ace's eye, both to reassure Ace in some small way and to silently marvel at how he could feel the sensation on his own face. "I got my brother back despite the odds and now I have a whole new set of people that I can call my friends. Maybe even a family."

“I wouldn't forgive me either, really.” Ace whispered and he knew how true those words were, he wouldn't have been able to forgive anyone who did that to him, so Sabo was in all his rights to resent and even hate him for that, no one could ever place the blame on anyone but Ace and he was okay with that.

And still Ace was surprised at Sabo's list of regrets, “What happened with Luffy wasn't your fault, you have nothing to be regretful there, if you had known the Dollmaker was around then you wouldn't have let him outside now would you? You were a kid with no knowledge of what would happen.” He said softly and sighed, “what I'm trying to say is, well you shouldn't regret things that were out of your control, had you known it would happen and then did nothing about it then yeah, feel free to hate yourself but as it stands, you don't have to about this, nor what you went through before meeting Lu.”

"Logically I know you're right, Izo said the same thing and everybody else would say it too. The problem is, you can't logic away emotions, no matter how hard you try. It's one of those things that will stick with me forever, but thank you." Ace was the closest Sabo would ever get to forgiveness from Luffy, but Sabo realized that it was good enough. "You shouldn't regret not being able to save your mother either. What they did was cruel and inhumane, but it was just as out of your control as losing Luffy was out of mine."

“Just throw reason right back at me why don't you.” Ace huffed and pulled his hands back to himself retrieving the sketchbook back into his hands. “But yeah, I know nothing I ever do or say will bring her back, and hating the lot of you in no way will bring her back, but it's the only thing I have left.” Ace murmured, “I have the memories of her and Roger, and I've managed not to forget them thanks to these, but…” Ace shrugged, “What are we talking about again? Why I was avoiding you all week?” Ace asked trying to ease the mood they had slunk into.

“I guess it's because I don't know how to deal with things and need to think things out before I lash out in the wrong way. The weasels arrival was an unprecedented event that brought up conflicting emotions I rather not delve into, because I am emotionally drained right now. But there you caught me; I avoid drastic changes, sue me.”

Sabo smiled at that, pulling his hand away too. "I knew it. You're an awful liar, by the way."

“I really was busy! And I'm only making my work pile up further by being up here, so there see I'll be busy again later… Unless I can get pineapple pants to do it for me, then I'll be suffering under my covers from phantom aches.” Ace said though there was no bite or accusation to his tone, honestly not minding _too_ much what Sabo was doing to them both.

"You realize that I could help you? I've done my fair share of paperwork and the main reason I've been training so much is because there's not much else to do. What do you do anyway? Aren't you like a prince or something and Marco too, doesn't that mean you two live, I dunno, carefree lives and all that?" Sabo asked, wondering what reason they would have for paperwork in the first place.

Ace perked up at that and tried to keep the smile off of his face, “You'd do that, really? Wait… What would you get in return?” He asked skeptically and had to snort at the logic. “You'd think so, but we like to keep the business under our control, we're a big family capable of managing our trades and expenses. We're a kingdom after all, Oyaji is the king and we are his sons and daughters so it's only fair that we help. It's seriously mind numbing paperwork though, Marco gets the sheets on soldiers and battle plans and things like that, anything kitchen and food related goes to Thatch, I get expenses because math is my second strongest subject and Izo takes care of textile trade. The rest is divided amongst the others, but it just so happens that they're more diligent than I am.”

"Come on Ace, there has to be a limit to how thick you can be. The only thing I want in return is to get to know you," Sabo said simply. " _Your highness_ ," he added in mockingly.

Ace snorted, “That's more Marco’s title, he's the heir of all this once Oyaji steps down, he is after all the rightful born son, the rest of us were adopted. Even Thatch isn't in line for the throne despite his noble standing, he and I along with everyone else are honorary Princes and Princesses because Oyaji made us a family.”

For a minute Ace stayed silent, thumbing the edge of the sketchbook, “well, what do you want to know? I already showed you the decomposing corpse in my closet, everything from there on out is a walk through the park.”

Sabo laughed, shrugging, "I don't know, your favorite color? That's as good a place to start as any."


	25. Chapter 25

"Oh man it’s so good to get out of that castle, who knew being stuck in such a large place could feel just as constricting." Koala exclaimed while stretching her arms over her head and sighed happily.

Sabo, could relate to her enthusiasm to get out of the castle grounds. The place was in no way constricting and they both liked the residents more than they would have ever thought. The family not only grew on Sabo but also on Koala over the two months that they resided within the vampire kingdom, she was still unnerved by the thought of being surrounded by vampires. But she was considerably more at home amongst the others, she and Ace had even achieved some sort of common ground, though the freckled vampire was still an ass to her, something they both decided was his way to adjust to change. And needless to say that Koala had fallen in love with Luffy.

But Koala and Sabo were hunters, they weren’t used to being rooted to one place for too long. They were getting stir crazy and Sabi had repeatedly appealed to Marco for a single day outside the castle walls.

At first it was argued that Sabo was not well enough to travel and that he could be repeating the incident of a couple of months ago, but then when he healed they had no more viable protest and they had to agree to his relentless persistence. Sabo was counting this day as a great victory, knowing that it was a great show of faith in the eyes of the family. They had agreed he was free to come and go as he pleased, but they went beyond that and allowed him to take little Luffy with them.

Sabo was ecstatic that the day they chose to take their stroll was working out in their favor more or less. The overcast sky shielded Luffy perfectly from the sun. As full of energy as the child was, the sun still had its weakening effect on him as it did on all vampires. But still, Luffy–being true to the boundless ball of energy that he was–swung from tree to tree around him and Koala while he pointed to things he knew every now and then. Sabo had to smile at Luffy’s own enthusiasm as he recounted tales of how Ace once headbutted a nearby tree, or the rock Luffy tripped over and scraped his knee, and so on.

“Shishishi, and that upside down tree right there, Acey pulled it out because we were having a throwing contest, to see who could throw the biggest tree the farthest. Mr. Mustache won.” Luffy laughed and continued to babble about his next attraction.

"Speaking of the world’s grumpiest vampire, was Mr. Prince charming too busy with the paperwork you finished for him to come with us or does he dislike me so much that he would rather not be here?” Koala mused lacing her hands behind her head as they walked. “Seriously what did I do to that guy for him to give me the stinkeye every time I even consider coming near him? Is it the way I smell, cuz not all of us can smell like strawberries."

"So he claims, but I heard he lost a certain bet with Thatch and is paying up today.” Sabo said with the barest of smirks on his lips.

“And it's more the fact that you're human than anything you've done or smell like." Sabo added with a chuckle. _'That plus he's still jealous_ ' Sabo mentally tagged on with a smirk.

"Typical vampire behavior I swear, he's the sort of vamp the trainers paint in your mind." Koala sighed and rose a brow, "Did you hear what kinda bet he lost?" Koala asked curiously.

"Unfortunately no, no one would tell me about it so I'm assuming that means I'm involved in some way," Sabo shrugged as they continued down the path Marco had marked down for them. Some things were better left unsaid when Thatch was involved, Sabo had learned that the hard way.

"Maybe.” Koala conceded letting the matter slide away as she spoke to Luffy about the owl he saw in a nearby tree.

“And we're here!" Luffy cried out all of a sudden hopping off of the tree and dashing forwards, leaving Sabo and Koala behind to follow after him.

That was bound to happen, Sabo supposed, Luffy did know the surrounding area better than he or Koala and the place Marco had suggested they have their picnic at was probably a place Luffy visited often enough. Koala was quick to run after Luffy and burst into the clearing, giggling in excitement as they chased one another and  flung snow back and forth; the picnic basket momentarily forgotten.

The clearing Sabo found himself standing in had an amazing view of the land below the mountain and even that beyond it, it was in a spacious ridge surrounded by forest on one end and on the other side a clear view of the land beyond them and he suspected the view of the sky was spectacular on a day when the sun was actually out and shining.

Sabo made his way over to a large flat rock, brushing off the snow on top before setting down the basket looped in his arm and pulling out the blanket that Izo had provided them. As soon as the basket was opened, the lunch’s scent escaped and made Sabo’s mouth water. The contents of the basket smelled amazing, and Sabo had to resist the temptation to take a peek at what was inside on the way here, he had an image to uphold after all.

"Luffy! Koala Come on, let's eat!" he called to the pair who were running around the clearing, leaving messy tracks in the perfectly undisturbed snow.

Koala bounded over with Luffy. “Finally, all that running around only made me hungrier…” she trailed off and her eyes widened slightly before she creased her brow.

“Sabo, are those heart shaped sandwiches? And pink colored drinks? Does Thatch _still_ think we’re together even after all the times we've said no?" Koala asked looking into the basket and over the meal the chef had prepared for them.

Sabo raised a brow and peeked into the basket along with her to discover that they had in fact been packed up with what he could only assume Thatch considered a lunch fit for two lovers. And of course he had, the chef was still refusing to give up on the idea of he and Koala together, no matter how many times he had denied it over the past two months.

Luffy, however, had no qualms about the food and instantly took the box that was labeled with his name into his hands, wasting no time to open the container and dig into his meal. "Shishishi, I really hope mine is meat!"

And as it turned out, he was not disappointed.

"Thatch's a hopeless romantic, what can you do. It's your fault he thinks we're together anyways. You were the one that continued to play along with his speculations so you've lost any right to complain." Sabo chided giving Koala a pointed look.

Personally Sabo had been done trying to convince the chef after the first day, but as luck would have it Thatch was having none of it and continued to tease the two friends endlessly over their closeness.

Sabo picked one of the sandwiches up and took a cautious bite, but as he expected, the simple–or what could be classified as simple with Thatch’s culinary skills–dish was exceptionally good.

“Not bad, no poison that I can taste," Sabo joked and handed Koala one of the other sandwiches, “here try one.”

"Oh c’mon Sabo don’t pin this on me, that dork had that idea in his head long before I ever got involved. I heard from a highly reliable source that he even had a little head cannon going on that you wanted to escape because you had a girl waiting for you." Koala explained and bit into her sandwich, making a pleased sound in the back of her throat that indicated that any and all of her annoyance with Thatch vanished.

"It's not my fault he's living out his nonexistent love life though me," Sabo huffed.

"Ah, say what you will about Thatch but his cooking is _amazing._ In fact I won’t even hesitate to say that it’s better than Hacks." Koala praised taking her time with the sandwich. "Roast beef is great in itself but damn him for making it better."

"Seriously? You’ve always said Hack's food was _godly_ , how can you get any better than that?" Sabo stated with a light chuckle as he continued to eat his sandwich in a calmer manner.

"I'll tell you how you can better than that Sabo, as soon as I find the right word for it. But seriously this guy is like on his own level and still you manage to keep a straight face, I seriously don't know how you do it." Koala shook her head and handed Luffy his bottle of juice.

"But if he's as big of a romantic as everyone claims, what makes you think his love life is nonexistent? For all we know he has a major crush on some far away princess?" Koala mused and tensed, her eyes narrowing and sliding to the side.

"How much of the mountain did you say the Whitebeards ruled over?" She asked, her voice changing considerably to Sabo’s ear. It a subtle shift that he would have never been able to pick up on had he not known her for years. If they had never hunted together and been witness to that serious tone in her voice more than a couple dozen times.

"Years of practice," Sabo said seriously, finishing off the sandwich and picking up another. "From what I know though, they rule over the entire thing and some of the land around the base of it, why?"

Koala frowned setting her half eaten sandwich down. It was eerie, the way she had done the task and her steely gaze was putting Sabo on edge. He was not liking the change in the atmosphere at all, and he disliked the cold shiver that went down the length of his spine even less. The hair at the back of his neck was standing in end and the suspense was near suffocating that Sabo nearly spoke up.

Just then Koala took a steadying breath and smiled in Luffy’s direction. "Hey Luffy, wanna see a cool trick?

The small boy looked up from his his empty hands where a now devoured sandwich used to be and nodded eagerly. Koala looked mildly pleased with his answer and with her practiced grin still in place, she raised her hands and cupped them around her mouth mimicking a bird call, the danger whistle of the hunters.

Sabo's visible eye widened slightly but he made no other outward sign to indicate that he understood her warning. There was only one deduction that Sabo could guess as to why she had gone so still and why she had used that particular call; Koala had heard something nearby. It could have been a simple animal that she had heard, but on a mountain run by vampires, it could just as easily be an enemy. This realization on placed Sabo's limited senses on high alert, straining his ears as he tried to pinpoint anything unusual in the surrounding area.

"Oh that's cool, I didn't realize you could make bird calls too Koala," Sabo commented seemingly impressed.

"But, can you do this one?" he challenged and cupped his hands around his mouth to coo softly. Sabo’s bird call was the code for 'vampire', his eye conveying the question his call posed.

Koala nodded, "Wow Sabo-kun, you're really good at this, do you know this one?" she asked and followed suit with a chirp, one that alerted other hunters that the surrounding area was most likely infiltrated by the enemy.

Koala tilted her head slightly and again Sabo strained to hear what she could, but with his injuries he was unable to do so. Koala chirped again a low two tone one. Northeast.

Koala fingered the blade at her hip, and Sabo could see the way her muscles tensed with each second that passed by. An animal wouldn’t dare venturing so close and it wouldn't be so light on his feet that Sabo wouldn’t be able to hear even with his recovering hearing.

Sabo watched as Koala’s eyes flicked to Luffy and back to Sabo, and immediately he could tell what she was thinking; Koala was placing all the responsibility on herself. She would do whatever it took to get Luffy and himself home safely.

Sabo wanted to protest, to tell her it might just be the wind messing with their minds and that it could just be them making thinking it up due to their inactivity in the past two months. But that was when Sabo heard it, he _heard_ the quiet movement just beyond the treeline. Sabo scanned the entire area under the pretense of jokingly trying to find the bird Koala had imitated. As he suspected, however, he saw nothing, but he could feel eyes on them now.

The uneasiness that had settled in the pit of Sabo’s stomach grew larger and the meal he had eaten not too long ago rolled unpleasantly. Every alarm in Sabo’s head was now screaming _danger_. Whatever was in those woodswas definitely a vampire, and not not one friendly with the Whitebeard coven.

"You're better than me," Sabo pouted, eye drawn to the sword at her hip.

Sabo needed a pretense to draw his own weapon, but his staff was still slung across his back, there would be no subtlety in pulling it out in that moment. Sabo didn't want to bring attention to Koala’s sword in case the vampire decided to attack her first for attempting it. But he also didn’t want to sit there like an open target. And then there was Luffy to be concerned for, the young boy obviously couldn't tell what they were warning one another about and was therefore clueless as to the danger surrounding them.

The mere thought of his little brother being in danger once again made Sabo's blood boil. If the vampire thought that he could just waltz up to them and endanger Luffy for no apparent reason, he had another thing coming.

Sabo stood up, moving a few paces away before turning around, brandishing his staff at Koala with a challenging smirk. "You may be better than me at bird calls, but I’ve been practicing with Vista lately. What do you say, one spar before we get too full?

Koala didn't skip a beat in her response and bounced to her feet.

"Really Sabo-kun, I'd thought you’d learn your lesson the last few dozen times we sparred, but if you really want me to kick your ass. Well, then who am I to deny you." she grinned cheekily and brandished her sword, the tip pointing towards Sabo, "you get first move, _Sabby_." her voice was sweet, teasing even as she got ready to advance.

"In your dreams," Sabo replied haughtily, taking a moment to size Koala up before lunging forward, staff swinging down at her in an arc above his head. She easily blocked the attack and they were face to face, fighting to push away the other's weapon in a power struggle.

"He's light on his feet, definitely experienced at stalking," he spoke quickly and quietly before ducking beneath her shoulder towards Luffy and smoothly standing back up, letting her win the struggle. He narrowed his eye at her, adjusting his hat to keep his hair out of his face. "Your move."

Koala let out a soft snort, "Am I the only one living in reality here Bo? Last time I checked the numbers you were down five wins." she chuckled and took a firm grip on her sword her eyes flitting at the surrounding area.

Sabo could see it in her eyes, the dawning realization that she knew that the vampire was close. He too could feel it with every fiber of his being that the bloodthirsty predator was nearby, too close for his liking.

Koala looked over to Sabo and Luffy behind him, he knew as well as she did that they couldn't play fight for too long. Despite his words Sabo still got winded too easily, even with the vigorous training sessions he had with both Koala and Vista. But they had to find out where the vampire was in order to decide their next move. Sabo was aware highly aware and ashamed to admit that he was a liability and not yet entirely ready to be on the field, and that Luffy was no more than a child. Essentially the entire mission depended on weather Koala could fend off the attacker or not, and he was not liking that scenario at all.

Koala sighed, exaggerating the sound as she tilted her head to the side, "In fact, this spar may not even be worth the trouble, Sabo-kun." she gave a soft pout and turned her back on Sabo, no doubt using that pretense to spy at the treeline.

Sabo saw the dark figure at the same time Koala did. The casual stance she had feigned quickly shifted into an offensive one and her sword came up with trained expertise. And still the lunging vampire evaded it easily, Sabo saw it’s claws rushing at her chest, but Koala too evaded the swipe and brought her sword up to perry his claws. The vampire hissed in annoyance, and skidded to a stop a few yards away to their left.

Sabo took a brief moment to study their assailant, trying to gauge their chances against him. The first and most obvious thing Sabo noticed was that the vampire was tall and lean. But he wasn’t just thin, the vampire looked _starved,_ it’s reddened eyes veined with what he had seen many times, bloodlust and one track desire. Sabo had to suppress a slight shiver, the vampire was clearly deranged and those–Sabo head learned–were the most dangerous.

And then there was his speed, the vampire moved surprisingly fast and too light on his feet for Sabo’s liking; speed along with the unsated hunger that pulsed in those eyes had proven to be a perilous combination in the past. And the way the vampire’s gaze kept flickering to Luffy made him all that more apprehensive over the situation.

The vampire must have realized that Luffy was by no means a human anymore, so then was he worried about Luffy hindering his chance at a meal? Was he taking Luffy as his competition and going after him next?

Sabo didn't take time to ponder that, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to protect his brother. And he would be damned to hell and back three times over if he allowed Luffy to engage in a fight with the deranged vampire. Sabo leapt forward just as Koala took a step to the side, giving him an opening.

Sabo’s staff was poised and ready already swinging down as he descended on the vampire, but his target easily blocked his attack. What he had not accounted for however, was the Kairoseki the staff was composed of. Sabo grinned as his staff made direct contact with the vampire's skin surprising the predator enough so that he took step back. Sabo pushed forward, the staff aiding him to overpower the vampire in a way that would have otherwise been impossible.

A hiss was expelled by the vampire as he pulled away from Sabo his dull orange eyes narrowing on him and flicking to Sabo’s staff. He must’ve realized that the staff was the one draining his strength and giving Sabo an upper hand, but he also must’ve come to the conclusion that there was no way he could easily bypass it to get to Sabo.

Those dull orange eyes flicked away from Sabo as a manic smile grew on the pale cracked lips and in that moment and his stomach dropped again. Sabo was too slow to intervene, the vampire weaved past him and Sabo’s staff sliced the air where the vampire stood. Koala raised her sword but it was too late, the vampire received nothing more than a scratch on his cheek where Koala got a blow directly against her gut sending her clear across the meadow and slamming against a tree and getting buried under the resulting mini avalanche.

Sabo grimaced as Koala was hit, he wanted to run to her side and make sure she was okay, but it was not an option, not when the vampire was standing too close to him and Luffy.

The predator began to circle Sabo, but Sabo stubbornly stayed between it and Luffy still unsure of the vamps fixation on his little brother. It was clear that he was bloodthirsty so why had it knocked away one food supply to get to the one other vampire? Why was Luffy his target when it was clear that the ones fighting back were him and Koala?

"What are you waiting for?" Sabo taunted, not failing to see how the vampire was warily eyeing his staff when his eyes weren’t fixated on Luffy. They both knew that the moment Sabo lost the staff it would be over for him, but he would not let that happen, he would not be bested. Bot with Luffy in the line. "Scared of a little human?"

"...Humans..." his voice, rarely used came out like a cross between nails on a chalkboard and a howling rasp. "I’ve no fright for your filthy kind." he spoke his eyes going over Sabo and returning to Luffy once more

"Give me the boy now and I will let you meat sacks live." The vampire said taking a step towards Luffy, but Sabo was there to meet his step and block him from Luffy who had been eerily quiet during the encounter. Sabo couldn’t take a moment to look over his little brother though, not when the vampire was _so_ close to them and making his intentions known with every passing second.

"Why should I? What would I get from it?" Sabo questioned, his eye narrowing as he spoke, trying to keep the vampire in the conversation and away from the shifting pile of snow behind him. Koala was recovering now, and Sabo needed to keep him distracted from whatever attack Koala would unleash next. "Who are you anyway? I don’t take you for a member of the Whitebeard Coven.”

"What more can I offer you than letting you keep your miserable life..." he growled and the smile he had worn previously returned with a much more malicious glint.

"Who am I?" he repeated, those dull glazed orange eyes rolling to the back to his head for a moment and then back to Sabo as he pretended to mull over the question again and again.

"I suppose _I_ am a monster to your wretched kind... The very man that eats naughty children when they don’t behave. The monster that every mother warns their revolting spawns of each night. Humans call me the boogieman, but vampires; they call me..." he trailed off and turned on his heel just Koala’s blade drove past him piercing the air where he been a mere second ago.

The vampire’s arm then descended upon the blade and shattered it as if it was nothing more than delicate glass. Koala’s eyes widened in disbelief as she all but abandoned the now useless hilt of her sword and pulled back and away from the vampire scanning the area for another attack plan.

The vampire didn’t pursue her and instead focused his eyes on Luffy once again. "I am the Dollmaker."

Sabo froze. He stared at the vampire, eye wide. His mind went silent for a moment before erupting with warring emotions, disbelief and shock fought alongside horrified understanding, until they were superseded by unretained anger. And only then did Sabo dare a glance at Luffy, what he saw there caused Sabo’s heart to drop out of his chest. Luffy looked absolutely petrified, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to speak but couldn't. The sandwich he had been so eagerly biting into was now littered on the ground, wasted, and forgotten.

Fear gripped Sabo's heart as he realized just what was at stake in the fight between them and the vampire. This vampire wasn't hungry for blood so much as his desire to have Luffy and take him back.

With great reluctance Sabo tore his gaze from his terrified brother before the vampire could take advantage of his brief distraction. His eye hardened as more adrenaline pumped through his system, filling Sabo with untapped energy backed up with the fire of rage. "Over your dead body."

"You forget it’s already dead." The Dollmaker smirked and rushed at Sabo again.

Sabo met his challenger head on, disability be damned, Sabo threw all his insecurities and self doubts away to protect his little brother. Koala too jumped into the fray, brandishing the pair of nunchucks she reserved for dire situations such as the one they found themselves in. The Dollmaker, however, wasn’t backing away either, he met every block and blow with his own all the while aware and wary of the kairoseki pipe in Sabo’s grip.

The Dollmaker danced out of the path of yet another blow to his stomach and in a movement too fast for Koala to react to, took her wrist in his large bony hand and snapped it as if it was nothing more than a twig. Koala’s cries of agony filled the air until the Dollmaker’s hand closed around her jaw and snapped it closed. Sabo flinched as he heard Koala’s jaw close with so much force behind the action that her teeth collided audibly, but even that pain must have dulled from the grip his long dirt caked nails had on her. The sharpened points were digging into the soft flesh of her jaw and neck drawing blood.

"Or should we make it over her dead body?" The Dollmaker rasped, jagged pointed teeth on full display.

Sabo grit his teeth, his mind racing with what to do, how could he have not seen this as the Dollmakers move? By capturing Koala he all but rendered Sabo useless, unable to move lest he provoke her instant death. There had to be something he could do to save her and Luffy but what?

Sabo knew Koala kept a concealed knife in her boot, but it was unaccessible to her at the moment from the way the vampire was holding her not to mention her wrist was currently out of commission with the blow it was just dealt. Sabo could still feel Luffy behind him, immobilized and terrified of the vampire who'd stolen his life over a decade ago, just being this close wasn't good for Lu, but what was Sabo to do? Take Luffy and flee? No, never. Sabo was being forced to choose between his friend and his family, but he knew he didn't have long until the Dollmaker ran out of patience and killed Koala anyways.

Sabo was running out of options, and every escape plan he did come up with was stupider than the last. He could try to attack the Dollmaker could react, but the vampire would snap Koala's neck before Sabo got even got a foot off of the floor. He could try telling Luffy to run, but the vampire would give chase and Sabo didn't know if Luffy would be able to hold it off alone, and chances were the vampire would most likely snap Koala's neck anyways. All of his possible moves lead to Koala with a broken neck, and Sabo discarded them all immediately. Sabo swore to never lose another person that he loved, and now that determination was being put to the ultimate test. The question begged to be asked, just how far was he willing to go?

Sabo studied the vampire, taking in its crazed, starved eyes. The Dollmaker held the confidence of someone who knew that they'd already won. But as Sabo had noticed earlier, the Dollmaker also seemed to have a hunger that Luffy could not satisfy. It was then that Sabo took note that he was holding Koala as carefully as he could while also inflicting enough pain that would dissuade her from fighting back. Sabo realized that despite his threat, the vampire didn't want to break her neck just yet.

An idea rose in his mind, and Sabo slowly lowered his staff, hating each inch it sunk into the snow more than the last. This was crazy. It was suicidal. There was no guarantee it would even work. Koala would _kill_ him if he survived this. But there was no other option.

Sabo let his staff fall completely into the snow. Then in one fluid movement, he took out his own concealed knife from his sleeve and sliced vertically up his arm. Hot blood immediately began pumping from the wound, fueled by his adrenaline charged heart. Sabo swiped some of the crimson liquid up on his hand and stepped forward, Sabo took cautious step after step until he was close enough to reach out and smear his hand directly on the vampire's face.

 


	26. Chapter 26

The Dollmaker blinked curiously, his lids falling and rising slowly as he looked at Sabo, and Sabo watched him for any sudden movements. Time slowed between them as they continued to stare at one another until the Dollmaker tensed and closed his hand tighter around Koala causing her to cry out in pain.

The cry seemed to snap him out of their trance however as she seemed to realize that Koala was still there and tossed her aside once more, no longer interested in her existence. The vampire’s dark tongue slipped out to lap at the blood dripping down his face and in a movement too fast for Sabo’s eye to see he snatched up his hand and greedily licked up Sabo’s arm savoring the cut. "Unsweetened blood... Is that all you have to offer?"

Sabo flinched at the sudden movement and grimaced, not bothering to repress his disgusted shudders as he was _licked_. He could feel the tongue pulling at the edges of the cut, eliciting more pain that Sabo bit down. It was absolutely repulsive in every possible way, and it took all of Sabo's self control to not lash out with the knife that was still in his hands. It would be a fruitless effort though, trying to attack at this close range was stupid and suicidal.

“It's all I have," Sabo growled, his hand clenched tightly on the knife while he eyed Koala's motionless form buried a foot or so under snow once more.

"...Then you have nothing to give that I desire." The Dollmaker stated simply tossing Sabo's arm back at him, "older blood is putrid, unsweetened, and an insult to any who drink it. It's even worse than that of mange ridden vermin, but a child’s blood is above all. A child’s blood is sweet, pure, and untainted." he purred out licking his lips once again.

Sabo stumbled slightly with the force behind the toss but managed to steady himself and loose his hold on the knife. Sabo closed his hand over the cut placing pressure on it trying to stop the bleeding. Despite his efforts, however, the cut continued to weep, staining the snow beneath him bright red.

“Well unless you're going to kill him I'm all you've got. He's not human any more, his blood is already tainted," Sabo spat, banking on the assumption this vampire wanted Luffy alive and had truly forgotten about Koala. "As for sweetness, ever considered using sugar?" he asked sarcastically, hatred for the vampire filling every pore and crevice of his being.

The Dollmaker chuckled, "I would never kill my little sailor, he was always so adorable, so headstrong in his defiance, it took me _months_ to train him only to have him snatched... I've stalked this mountain for the better part of a decade waiting for this moment. Waiting for one of them to slip up and hand me back my doll. His blood is my blood by all blood-turned rights he _belongs_ to me, just as you belong to the whore that popped you into this world." he growled and stepped towards Sabo, "but if you very well insist."

Cold hands roughly grabbed Sabo’s shoulders as the Dollmaker's mouth opened wide, baring his razor sharp teeth to Sabo for a split second before he leaned down and bit into the healing burned skin at the base of Sabo's neck.

Ace cried out echoing Sabo, and momentarily lost his footing as blinding pain shot through his shoulder, his vision blurred for a moment before it righted once more. What was Sabo doing... Who was doing this to Sabo?

Sabo let out a shout of pain as the vampire sunk its teeth into his scarred shoulder, his knees almost falling from beneath him in shock. The sensation of having his blood drawn from his body was horribly utterly _wrong_ and disturbing, and the pain behind the process, it was excruciating.

Sabo became hyper aware of just how defenseless he was then, no knives at his disposal, his staff was gone, and a vampire was latched onto his shoulder and again Sabo was rendered completely vulnerable.

Sabo was losing too much blood both from the cut on his hand and the wound at his neck, it was becoming too overwhelming too fast and had to fight to blink away the disorientation that was starting to cloud his mind.

He fought back though, refusing to give in to the sensation, because Luffy was still behind him, and he was safe for as long as Sabo could hold out. The monster treated everything like a game, something amusing to pass the time with, and Sabo was beginning to shake, though whether it was from the anger within him or the profound loss of blood he could no longer tell.

* * *

 

Ace paced back and forth along the length of the kitchen, weaving out of Thatch's way when he needed to as the unsettling sensation in his stomach grew with every second.

"Ace sit down, I'm sure they're fine." Thatch reassured his brother with a carefree wave as he added more ingredients to the boiling pot over the fire. "The kids needed a day out anyway, Sabo and Koala were getting restless and it gives Luffy some room to breathe. So sit your ass down, I need to know that you understand the plan, recite it for me again."

"Forget the plan Thatch _I'm_ telling you there’s something wrong, I can feel it, it’s like... dread; Definitely dread with some sort of apprehension. Where did you say they were going again?" Ace asked never once glancing at the empty stool that was waiting for him to sit on.

"Uh huh, and how many times did you _feel_ that things were wrong and you needed to be there before?” Thatch mused expertly chopping the cleaned vegetables laid out on his cutting board.

“Ace you need to see that Sabo isn't a bad guy and he has Luffy’s best interest at heart, so sit down already. No one knows where exactly they went, all Marco told them was to stay close and not climb up or down the mountain." he drawled lazily as he minced his last vegetable.

Ace, however, was not pleased by the continued aversion to his worry and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him to demonstrate his irritability with the chef. He bounded up the steps taking them three to four at a time until he breezed by the two stories he needed in order to reach his eldest brother.

"Marco where did they go?" Ace asked as soon as he reached the study and pushed the door open.

"Nice to see you too Ace. I'm doing well, thanks for asking." Marco intoned with the smallest hint of amusement as he looked up and over the stacks of papers on his desk to meet his brother's gaze.

Ace groaned, "Seriously Marco can we skip the formalities we see eachother everyday I think I should know by now that you're only unwell when you start preening your feathers."

"I’m not a bird, yoi." Marco rolled his eyes losing his hint of amusement.

"And I'm not a liar, I am not crying out for attention here, there really _is_ something wrong and if you won’t tell me, I’ll just go and figure it out myself."

"You need to learn to trust him you know." Marco said quietly and Ace nearly ripped his hair out by the roots.

"This _isn’t_ about trust featherbrain Sabo is having a heart attack in the woods and all of you think I'm insane!" he cried out looking out to the window where the clouds grew darker.

Marco rose from his seat and strode over to Ace, saying nothing as he reached out and placed a steadying hand on Ace’s shoulder. The moment that Marco touched him, Ace hissed and bared his fangs as the very same arm was sliced open and blood dripped onto the floor. Where Ace’s eyes narrowed, Marco’s widened. The cut was self inflicted Ace knew that much, but what could have compelled Sabo to do such a thing? Green eyes met blue briefly and Ace saw Marco’s resolve to remain quiet rush out of him.

"The eastern meadow, he was heading to the eastern meadow." no sooner were those words out of Marco’s mouth that Ace crashed out the window.

How could he have not calculated the possibility of danger to their excursion? Yes the mountain and many of the surrounding environment was under their protection but animals hardly listened to that and humans were no better. Had they gotten to Luffy? Was the child okay? Was Sabo?

The rage that was boiling in Sabo was quick to ignite within Ace, fueling him as he rushed into the clearing and barreled into the two connected figures. Ace's emerald eyes flashed dangerously as he acted without thought, prying the form off of Sabo and placing himself between the blonde and his attacker.

Ace was breathing heavily, adrenaline still coursing through him as he focused his eyes on the vampire crouching before him.

"You..." the Dollmaker breathed letting out a fit of laughter, "you've finally shown yourself and this is how you present yourself, weakened and bloodied... No matter I _will_ have my doll back."

Ace had no time to be surprised, he knew the man was right, because Sabo was attacked, he was also suffering from the damages that had been dealt to Sabo. Ace was aware of the pain that was plaguing Sabo, it was demanding to be tended to, but where Ace healed and was able to push away the worst of the damage, Sabo was not so lucky.

Sabo backed up to the rock where the picnic remained scattered and forgotten, he braced himself against it as he let out a shaky sigh of relief. Thank _god_.

Sabo looked between Ace and the Dollmaker, the tension between them so thick it couldn't be cut, the hatred between them was personal, but he was ready to stand by Ace and help him in any way that he could.

"Take Luffy and run." Ace ordered his eyes flicking over to the unconscious form in the snow. "I'll see to it that the weasel lives. And this one doesn't."

Sabo's pride burned at the order, he was told to run and hide no less, but now wasn't remotely the time for arguing. Ace was a vampire, he would be far more useful than Sabo in this fight, especially as injured as he was. Sabo took the briefest of moments to rip off his sleeve and tie it around his shoulder to stifle the blood before retrieving his staff a few feet away and turning to Luffy.

The child was still watching the vampire with unadulterated horror, his eyes glazed over and making no reaction to his father's appearance. Sabo approached him as slowly as he dared, hands raised where Luffy could see them, making sure he was not projecting any sort of ill intent.

"Luffy, it's me, Sabo. I'm gonna protect you, alright?" he spoke calmly, helpfully, and Luffy tore his gaze away from the vampire long enough to meet Sabo's but instead of a warm welcome, Sabo only saw fear. Luffy’s eyes widened in fright as he showed no recognition at all as to who Sabo was, his brother was replaced with a demon of the past.

"No! Stay away from me!" Luffy cried, curling himself into a tiny, shaking ball that scooted as far away from Sabo as he could.

Sabo's heart broke at the sight, but he was out of time. Carefully, Sabo scooped the child up into his arms and began to run, back towards the castle, trusting Koala's life in Ace's hands.

Ace hadn't looked at Luffy, he _couldn't_ bring himself to look at Luffy, not yet. He could sense the distress in the young vampire but if Ace saw Luffy then and there he wouldn't be able to look away and erase the look from his mind. Ace would never be able to unsee the look that told Ace that he had failed Luffy and had allowed the past to haunt him once again.

" _NO!_ ” The Dollmaker bellowed and started after Sabo and Luffy only to have his face slam harshly into the snow covered ground.

 _“_ You better take care of him, human,” Ace muttered though no bite was added to his words. In the past couple of months Ace had come to the tentative conclusion that Sabo was truly not the person he had believed him to be, and more often than not Ace had begun to notice that his walls were not being breached but rather he was lowering them for Sabo, forgetting or choosing to not remember that he was a human and not truly one of them.

Sabo would see to Luffy, of that Ace was positive. He had bigger things to worry about.

"Luffy is _not_ your doll, nor will you ever lay a hand on him again." Ace spat out and tightened his grip on the other vampires head keeping him pinned to the floor.

The Dollmaker opened his mouth to protest that the boy was his by the governing rules of their kind but his words had no chance to escape as Ace rose and slammed the Dollmaker's head back into the bloodied snow.

"You're not getting to them without going through me." Ace warned adding pressure to the back of the man’s head though if he thought it was going to be that easy he was sorely mistaken. The Dollmaker's arm twisted back in an unnatural angle and clawed at Ace's arm, making him let go and pull away with a hiss.

"Kick his ass, Ace," Sabo muttered under his breath as the two vampires began to fight. Luffy said nothing more as they left the clearing, shaking quietly with the force of his terrified sobs. Sabo tightened his grip securely on him, having no other way to soothe the child without wasting his breath.

His greatest obstacle now was endurance, and his goal was getting as far away as he could as quickly as possible. Sabo felt guilty and cowardly for running and for not staying to help in the fight. But he trusted Koala's life with Ace, and Sabo knew Ace was doing the same with his trust in him.

Sabo ducked behind a tree for a quick breather once he deemed them a fair distance away from the clearing. Sabo knew he wasn't doing too bad all things considering, but despite all of the training he had done, he still wasn't in quite as good as shape as before.

Luffy let out another quiet sob, and Sabo bounced the child gently in his arms. "It's alright Lu, your brother's going to protect you," he whispered, holding Luffy so he could hear Sabo's heartbeat with all hopes of soothing him. "I promise."

With a low guttural growl the two clashed again fangs bared and claws ready, grappling for leverage against the other. Ace caught and landed a few blows before they separated once again though Ace was the one breathing heavily as they rounded one another looking for any possible opening either one of them wasn't guarding.

The older vampire chuckled, and Ace knew he could see it. How could he not, the underlying tiredness and weakness Ace was displaying was too obvious to even himself. And Ace _knew_ that sooner or later that weakness would be exposed and exploited, the smirk on the Dollmaker’s face was proof enough. And Ace wanted nothing more than to rip that head off of the shoulders it was tethered to and end the ordeal, but vampire moved again catching Ace with a side sweep and made him lose his footing.

Ace cursed as he landed in the carpet of snow and twisted onto his side ready to stand, but the other was already on him.

* * *

 

The longer the fight went on, the harder it became for Sabo to keep moving. He could feel every hit Ace took, and after another minute he knew Sabo needed to stop somewhere. Theoretically he could keep moving, go all the way back to the castle, but he had Ace to think about as well. Sabo couldn't tire himself out, or it would all but guarantee Ace's Defeat.

Sabo spotted a rocky overhang and ducked underneath it, settling down quietly with Luffy against his chest once more as he steadied his breath trying to calm his heart as it was determined to beat erratically within his chest.

Sabo stroked Luffy's hair soothingly, humming as loudly as he dared while keeping all of his senses trained on his surrounding area, listening, waiting trying to sense _something_ , _anything_. Time passed slowly, but Sabo could feel the child begin to calm, falling into what he hoped was a peaceful sleep.

The silence around them was deafening, and Sabo took the time now that Luffy was asleep to take stock of his injuries. His left shoulder was still bleeding, but the blood was slowing much to his relief. Sabo’s right shoulder too, had mostly stopped bleeding by then but his entire arm was freezing not only thanks to his genius move of ripping off his sleeve but also the lack of blood. The dizziness that caused him to close his eyes also derived from the blood loss, and Sabo was certain that he was doing Ace no favors if the blows he felt his soulmate receive were any indication.

Sabo catalogued every single flash of pain that came from Ace's end, stacking them up to get a rough idea of how the fight was going. The pain was coming more and more often, and Sabo knew it was partially his fault that Ace was getting tired so easily. Slicing his arm had been incredibly stupid, but it was the only way Sabo knew he could alert Ace that something was wrong.

Ace's emotions were running high with anger and frustration, Sabo didn't know if projecting emotions was possible, but he tried to counter them with determination and trust. Ace _couldn't_ lose, it simply wasn't an option. He had to keep fighting, if not for himself than for Luffy. Sabo had no idea if his tactic was working, and he maybe felt a little ridiculous for believing it would make a difference, but anything he could do to help was definitely worth a try.

What seemed like ages of a prolonged battle were seconds and minutes at best, but the worst was over and Ace stood alongside his brother with a defeated vampire at their feet. Ace glared in disgust at the head he clutched in his hand, the putrid black blood that dripped out of its severed neck stained the snowed ground at his feet. And still anger grew like a wildfire within Ace. " _How..._ "

Marco was silent, he didn't need to ask Ace what he was asking, his eyes said it all and Marco closed his eyes. "We burned the catacombs to the ground Ace. A vampire body was found right after the fire died down. We presumed the body was his, we never thought he would have any adult vampires in there with him. His main source of food was children."

"The bastard must've crawled out of the tunnels, how else would he have escaped that, especially in his condition.” Ace growled and shook his head, “We should have gone back the next day and searched-”

"Searched what Ace?" Marco asked softly, his half lidded eyes mirroring Ace’s anger, frustration and self accusation. “We hand _no_ idea something like this would have happened, a corpse was found it had vampire fangs, by all rights it should've been his but it wasn't. We couldn't have known.”

"We should have!” Ace roared and threw the head onto the soiled floor. “We should have known and hunted him down Marc, Luffy had to see him, he…” Ace paled as he whirled in the direction Sabo had taken off in.

“Luffy, he can’t be okay after all this..." Ace trailed off once more and turned to where Koala was trembling underneath the heap of snow. "Fuck... and Sabo."

Sabo shivered in the frozen air, his body huddled around Luffy even though the younger's presence made the cold worse rather than better. Still Sabo clung to his sleeping brother, not wanting to ever let go ever again. He'd already failed Luffy once and almost failed him a second time, there would not be a third.

Sabo’s wounds continued to bleed against all of his efforts and the growing fury inside of him continued to force adrenaline through Sabo's body even though he'd stopped moving long ago. The battle had ended, Sabo could tell Ace had won the match when the hits stopped coming, but now there was nothing to distract Ace from his anger and worry.

Over time Sabo had begun to pick up the subtle differences between his own emotions and the emotions being projected onto him through Ace. But the loss of blood was getting to Sabo's head, confusing him to the point where he couldn't think straight or long enough to figure out whose emotions and pain were whose.

Ace followed the scent of blood, pushing himself past his own exhaustion while shouldering some of Koala’s weight, though he knew very well that Marco was taking on more of her weight than he. His brother would have carried Koala all on his own had Ace not been insisted that she was under his care and he had promised Sabo he would bring her back safe and sound. Thus Marco had no choice but to relent and let Ace carry some of her weight between them.

The two brothers walked in determined silence as they followed the trail of blood droplets that stained the pure white snow. Each of them cursing themselves for the tragedy of that simple afternoon. And after a few more paces a small white flake swooped slowly past Ace’s vision and landed on his freckled nose. The beginning snowflake was quickly followed by another and another.

"Shit... Shitshitshit." Ace cursed picking up his pace despite the clear protest of his limbs. Ace was feeling cold, but that was to be expected due to his state of being undead, but this cold was different. The cold Ace was feeling in that moment was deeper, it seeped into his bones and left him colder than freezing. Ace was used to the cold, but Sabo wasn't. Sabo was warm and Sabo had no protection for the cold, Sabo wasn’t used to it and if a storm would hit.

 _Not now, why now?_ Ace thought angrily his eyes looking around for any indication of the blonde and Luffy, pushing away the overbearing sensation of rest, they _had_ to be there somewhere.

Sabo stiffened as he heard a quiet sound. He strained his hearing, listening as the sound repeated. There was no denying it, the sound belonged to footsteps, and each one that followed only indicated that whoever was behind them was getting close. Sabo blinked heavily before forcing his tired body up into a crouch to peer out of the overhang cautiously. It had started to snow much to his displeasure, but he noticed a figure in the distance, moving closer.

Sabo swore under his breath and ducked back into cover. He looked from Luffy to his staff to the world outside, and Sabo knew what he had to do. He carefully set Luffy down on the ground, taking off his hat and scarf to wrap it around the child's cold body. Sabo kept the gloves for himself as he picked his staff back up, moving towards the edge of the figure's line of sight.

He closed his eyes and listened, not moving at all and barely allowing himself to breath. The footsteps were coming closer, closer, closer, and when Sabo estimated they were only a few feet away he readied himself. Sabo’s eye opened, his hands gripped the staff tighter and he took a final steadying breath. Sabo only had one chance, his body wouldn't survive another fight, so he had to make his one move count. When the footsteps stopped, Sabo leaped out from under the overhang, staff flying towards the figure with a single objective in mind, to kill.

It was Marco who intercepted the blow, the older blonde had moved much faster than Ace would have ever reacted on his own and his hand shot out to grip the oncoming staff. The sound of kairoseki hitting skin echoed in the woods, resonating deeply within Ace as he maintained Koala standing despite the fatigue that threatened to take him under. Ace's green eyes widened as he watched Marco stagger on his feet though still held tightly onto the energy draining pipe, but that wasn't what bewildered him, instead his gaze landed on a very disoriented looking Sabo.

Relief had never impacted Ace so greatly as it did in that moment, but only one question managed to get through in his condition. "Where’s Lu?"

Sabo stopped as he finally recognized the figure, and he withdrew his staff, emotions settling as he saw Ace and Marco, injured but alive. Sabo let out a deep breath of relief, leaning heavily on a tree as the adrenaline rush faded once more. "He's under the overhang, sleeping."

Marco released the staff and moved towards the overhang, but Ace stopped him, handing Koala over to him instead as he went to retrieve Luffy himself. Ace scooped the small motionless boy into his arms and looking back to Sabo, closing the space between them.

"He doesn't feel the cold, but you do." he murmured placing Sabo's hat on his head and the scarf around his neck as best he could with an arm made of lead. And for the first time, Ace did not hesitate to add. "Thank you."

Sabo nodded, eyes fluttering closed as his knees finally gave out. He landed on all fours, breathing heavily and truly feeling his wounds along with the side effects from blood loss now that the peril was truly over. "We should... probably go back."


	27. Chapter 27

They managed somehow, Koala held securely to Marco's back, Luffy in one of Ace's arms and Sabo sandwiched between them. The snow came harder as they progressed but no sooner had they made it just beyond the treeline when they were ambushed by the family. It was only then that Ace's legs finally gave out and he let himself rest heavily against Marco urging the worried family to prioritize the others over himself, he would be fine so long as Luffy, Sabo, and the weasel were taken care of.

Sabo hadn't paid much attention to his surroundings as they returned to the castle, he had been too busy fighting back the exhaustion that had set in and refused to leave him. Sabo didn’t know the exact moment of when they broke through the treeline and had only become barely aware of the moment where he was transferred from one set of arms to another. The scent of freshly baked bread and other food smells could only indicate that Thatch was the vampire that took Sabo from Ace and Marco. A twinge of relief lit within Sabo as he knew then that he was safe. Luffy was safe and so was Koala. But was Ace?

Sabo had to force his eye open and blink through the curtain of dizziness and disorientation several times in order to see as clearly as he possibly could. It took longer than he would have liked but he was soon able to see the others, Luffy was curled in Izo’s arms, Koala enveloped in Jozu’s large arms and Ace was still with Marco, the freckled vampire looked a little worse for wear, but Sabo couldn’t say how grateful he was to see that Ace, Luffy, and Koala were safe, maybe not fine and definitely not unscathed, but they were free from danger. And though Sabo was numb to most everything else, he could still feel the nagging sense of guilt, Sabo knew he was responsible for all of those injuries.

They made it two steps towards the castle before it became apparent that Sabo was no longer in any condition to walk. Thatch paused and was ready to take Sabo into his arms, but Izo stopped him, murmuring words that sounded strangely like, “Luffy…sleep, I'll...care of Sabo.”

Izo’s kind smile was the last thing Sabo saw before his eye slid shut again. And yet his consciousness was still aware enough to know that he was being held within Izo’s arms, her comforting presence making tears prick the back of his eyes.

The snowstorm howled in the distance and Sabo couldn’t believe that they had made it out of that in one piece, they were out of harm’s way and the nightmare from the woods could be placed behind them. But that in no way meant that they were done with the ordeal, Sabo could feel Ace’s distress, or was that his own worry over Luffy?

He sighed softly as he buried his head into the soft fabric of Izo’s clothes and manage to croak out two words.

"I'm... sorry," Sabo managed through the tightness in his throat.

What he was apologizing for was simple to his mind, he was sorry for insisting on the trip, for not insisting that Ace escape Thatch and prompt him to join them. But most of all he was apologizing for what he had done. Sabo had been _so_ close to letting Luffy fall back into the hands of that monster, he had nearly lost his little brother again despite the trust the others had put in him to protect Luffy. Sabo was sorry for not being able to protect Luffy as the older brother that he was, once again.

“Stop it.” she murmured, there was no reprimanding sense to her soft tone. And Sabo knew that it was a simple request of hers.

“I won’t hear it, there is nothing to apologize for. If anything it is our fault for letting such a thing happen.” she added, and Sabo just knew that a frown was marring her delicate features.

“The day we rescued Luffy, Ace had left the man for dead, and we were to take care of what remained of him, and his creations. When we arrived, we saw nothing more than broken souls that no longer knew how to function for themselves. We were outraged, and with heavy hearts we committed an unspeakable act, and set the catacombs aflame. When the flame died, we recovered the body of a vampire, thus we _assumed_ it belonged to the demented man. Had we known he had escaped somehow…” Izo trailed off and pressed a gentle hand on Sabo’s head smoothing back his hair soothingly.

“The cross is not yours to bare my dear, it is ours. Now rest; I will take you to the infirmary where your body will heal. I promise I will see you when you wake, I’ll be here.” she reassured Sabo and he didn't doubt her, Izo would never do something she didn't say, and though guilt plagued every corner of his mind, fatigue and exhaustion won the battle and pulled him under.

* * *

 

Ace had remained outside, the snowstorm blowing around him a mere nuisance that he all but disregarded, his emerald eyes had been trained in Sabo’s limp form and how small he looked again this sister. And the way Luffy seemed to be smaller than usual in Thatch’s arms after the two traded charges, even the weasel seemed tiny and frail against Jozu’s large frame.

How could he have let this happen?

Ace was rooted to the spot wanting to follow, and yet being unable to move. The Dollmaker had been so close to taking away his family, not just Luffy but also the not so insufferable human.

“–ce, are you listening to me, yoi?” Marcos voice asked and Ace wanted to swat it away, but Marco persisted until he met those caring blue eyes.

“They will be fine Ace, you got to them in time,” he assured knowing exactly what Ace was worried about, but then again that was to be expected due to their shared history.

Ace however, did not offer up a response and Marco supposed he wasn't looking for one, “They are in the best care possible Ace. I'll take you straight to them in a minute, let's get you cleaned up and checked over before I speak with Oyaji, yoi.”

The storm was left behind, banned and kept away by the towering walls of the castle. The climb up the stairs was another blur lost to Ace’s mind, as was the mind numbing check up he was forced to bare with at Marco's insistence. Ace was numb, distressed with so many questions running through his head that he had no time to catch one in order to distinguish it from the white noise in his mind. He only wanted to see Luffy, to make sure he was without a doubt fine; and if Ace was honest with himself, he also wanted to see Sabo.

Ace was then forced to endure the most excruciatingly long hour of his life in a bed, with Marco sitting at his side to make sure he stayed _in_ bed. The recovery had been hell for Ace, not because it delayed, or he hadn't recovered, but because he was forced to remain there alone with his worries and restlessness. The fatigue he had felt when they had arrived had long since passed, and he suspected that was due to Sabo receiving the same treatment.

The moment the hour was over, Ace bolted out of bed and Marco made no move to stop him, the older vampire had merely nodded and allowed Ace to go, saying something about checking in with Oyaji and explain what had happened. Later he would find out that in the hour he was down, a small party lead by Thatch had gone out to retrieve the head and corpse of the Dollmaker, and burn him in the deepest bowels of the castle.

Upon his release, Ace dashed to Luffys side, and a small twinge of relief made his heart splutter as he noticed that Luffy and Sabo–along with Koala–were in the same room, and thus he was able to look over both of them with ease.

Ace closed the door gently behind him and smiled gently in Izo’s direction, where she returned the gesture and returned to her needlework. Ace stepped farther into the quiet room and sat between Sabo and Luffy, his eyes fixated on the floor at his feet, Izo was on Sabo’s other side, respectfully quiet in her work of fixing up Sabo’s sleeve, while a nearly clock ticked the seconds away and filled up the quiet room.

And though Ace was relieved that Sabo was safe, he still could not shake away the nagging thought that infested his mind. Sabo saved Luffy in the woods, and there was nothing Ace could do to ever repay that. How could Ace ever look at Sabo with that in mind, after all Ace had personally put Sabo through, how could he possibly face him now? Could Ace be in any further debt to Sabo than he already had been? Ace had sincerely doubted it, and that day he had been proven wrong. Ace would now need two lifetimes come even remotely close to repaying Sabo for Ace’s mistake and now his selfless act towards Luffy.

“He didn’t have to save him. Luffy was his brother once… but _why?”_ Ace asked quietly into the room, he knew that Sabo cared about Luffy, he had been his little brother before Ace had even known of him; and they were sort of family now, but it all came back down to one thing. Sabo risked his life _for_ a vampire, a _human_ saved a _vampire_.

“You’re right.” Izo confirmed after three precise stitches, “He didn’t _have_ to, so he must have _wanted_ to, Ace. I think you know why, do you honestly still think so little of Sabo.”

“I-” Ace shook his head, he wanted so badly to hold onto the belief that had kept him going for years, but his grip slipped and Ace had to shake his head. “no…”

Izo made a soft soft sound, however before she could further question Ace, another voice interrupted the two siblings.

"Shit!" The word slipped out of Ace’s least favorite person as she bolted up from her bed, and if her glazed eyes darting around the room were any indication, Ace suspected she was still disoriented from the nasty hit she had taken.

It took a moment, but eventually her eyes fell on Izo and then on Ace, who frowned immediately, not wanting to be the object of her focus. But her eyes remained on him, almost as if she was making absolutely sure that he was indeed and undeniably there.

Just when Ace was about to snap at her to stop staring at him, she looked from Luffy to Sabo, and the most natural question slipped out of her. "What happened?"

Ace had to hold himself back from snorting, she had been there, was it really that hard to put two and two together? He supposed so to someone that nearly got her brains turned to mush, and it was this knowledge that made Ace reign in his snarkiness.

"We almost lost Luffy and–” Izo cleared her throat and Ace relented, abiding for the time being and momentarily calling it a truce between them. “We almost lost all three of you."

When it was clear that the weasel was still not grasping the entirety of the situation Ace had to fight back the frown that wanted to curve the corners of his mouth. He looked over to Izo who shook her head once, and Ace’s question was shot down just like that. She would not be explaining the tale she thought was his to share. Ace glared At Izo for a moment and sighed. He supposed he owed the weasel that much, thus Ace swallowed back his reluctance to speak on the matter at hand and did his best to explain.

"In the woods, the three of you encountered a man that should have been dead over a decade ago. He called himself The Dollmaker, and for whatever reason he took human children and turned them into vampires. The ones that survived the turning, he toyed with until he broke their minds and spirits. He ended their individualism and molded them into his own living dolls. A little farmer, a ballerina, a locomotive driver, and so on; he had a collection of thirteen, Luffy included. Then one day I happened upon him.

It was the day I met Lu, and long story short; we thought we killed him, but we were wrong and he escaped, so he came back for revenge. You two, you and Sabo were caught in the crossfire of an attack of vengeance. And for that..." Ace lowered his head, shame burning the tip of his ears, not for what he was about to do, but for what he failed to finish long ago. "I'm sorry."

If Koala was surprised by the apology, she gave no outward reaction. "And he's dead now? How did you...?" she trailed off and Ace couldn’t gauge her reaction to well due to his reluctance to lift his head up in her direction. Still he answered.

"Its pretty hard to live past a missing head." Ace couldn't help the snark that slipped into his voice.

"And Sabo, is he _insane_?! I'm going to _murder_ him when he wakes up," she exploded, no doubt getting the rest of her memories of the event back, or at least Ace suspected enough that made her want to reprimand the blonde for his recklessness.

"He did what he had to, it wasn't the best move and it really wasn't a light cut,” Ace guessed as to what injury she was referring to, since the bite to his neck was one she was not conscious for. “But because of that we found you in time." Ace informed her.

Her threat continued to ring in Ace’s ears and he did not try to stop the frown that came to his lips then as he rose his head, jaw set and eyes dark and unreadable. "You will not harm him not while in recovery... And not while I'm here."

Koala's head tilted curiously as she returned the stare. Her eyes flickered to Izo who seemingly wasn't paying any attention to their conversation, but there was a small smile on her face that Ace could not even begin to know what it meant.

"So it really is real... this soulmate thing. So are you afraid of a little pain?" she mused, “If you feel everything he feels then it would hurt you too, wouldn't it?”

Ace's flinch was not hard to miss, he was not expecting her to know. Granted, he had been the one to tell Sabo to tell her soon, but it still came as a surprise due to her never having mentioned it up to this point.

Ace recovered slowly and nodded. "You doubted Sabo on this? There would be no reason for him to lie... But if there’s any pain inflicted on either him or me is reflected, any emotion or need strong enough is shared. So if you think I'll just sit idly by and let you take a crack at him, think again."

"I didn't doubt him, but hearing about it and seeing proof are two different things." Koala said with a shrug and immediately she smiled sweetly at the vampire. "You care about him, don't you." It was not a question she was asking, but a simple fact she was stating and Ace turned his eyes away.

Denial was on the tip of his tongue, what did he care about one stupid little impulsive human? He didn't he just didn't feel like dealing with the pain was all, excuse him for not being a fucking masochist.

Ace's mouth opened and closed but after a minute he answered. "I don't have to say anything to you, but you've been warned."

Koala chuckled but continued to press the matter, "Come on, you've spent the past two months practically attached at the hip, you don't care about him in the slightest? Most people wouldn't have forgiven you, you know. I sure as hell wouldn't have."

The maelstrom of guilt returned to Ace and Izo looked up sharply, Ace's emotions were not in the stablest condition, not when Luffy was concerned and now it seemed Sabo was included in that category.

"He shouldn't have,” Ace said quietly, his voice strained and raw even to his own ears. “By all rights he shouldn't have. You think I don't know that? Do you think I wouldn't take it back if I could?" he asked, no real threat in his voice but still Izo straightened in her seat, eyeing Ace and his intentions.

"He shouldn't have," Koala agreed, shaking her head in disbelief. "I told him that too, I told him he was being naive in believing that you of all people was capable of compassion and you deserved nothing of his kindness. But, he was adamant that it wasn't entirely your fault when he told me. He's always been like that, he doesn't like holding grudges or having people owe him. He cares about _you_ , whether you want him to or not, I can tell even if he won't outright say it. So again: do you care about him?" she asked, eyes steely.

Ace glanced at Sabo then at the door debating on his chances of escape. It wouldn't be possible, he wouldn't get far, and he wouldn't be able to hide for too long, not to mention Luffy was here, he couldn’t just up and leave with him. "I don't not care about him."

Koala rolled her eyes. "Stop being an ass, I'm not asking for Sabo, I'm asking for me. I need to know whether he'll be in good hands. He needs people who care about him, he deserves nothing less really, after what he's been through. Are you telling me he nearly killed himself for no reason?"

Ace narrowed his eyes, "I don't have to answer to you of all people, whether its for him or for yourself. What I feel is for me to know."

Koala sighed irritatedly but she relented, "Fine. What happened after I passed out then?"

"It was taken care of." Ace ground out and Izo sighed from where she sat and at last she intervened in their conversation, "Thatch confirmed the death not too long ago. the body was burned if that's any consolation my dear."

"But what happened to Sabo? The cut didn't look bad enough for him to be so pale..." Koala ventured.

"He made it, that's what matters." Ace clipped out and Izo shook her head, she hadn't been briefed either.

"Alright," Koala sighed, and before she could ask any more annoying questions, her stomach rumbled loudly. All of her focus now drawing into the action. "What's for lunch?" she asked cheerily, no doubt trying to lighten the somewhat somber mood in the room.

Before Ace could quip something in her direction Izo interjected, "Thatch said you were to be on a light meal until the doctor's verdict, he brought an extra sandwich he said was left over from what he made for the picnic. It should still be fresh."

"A light meal? But I barely did anything! I'm _starving_ Izo, have some mercy," Koala pleaded.

Ace hid his smirk and Izo chuckled, "Sorry dear, but say that to the large bruises on your back, and I'm sorry to say your wrist is out of commission for the next month or two."

Koala groaned, falling back onto the bed with an oomph and then wincing as the impact jarred her back. "Okay, point proven. I'm going to die."

"Bit dramatic there aren't we? But we will honor your memory, cremation or burial?" Izo asked with a beaming smile.

"Cremated. Scatter me in Thatch's kitchen so he'll always remember what he did," Koala replied gravely. "Or on the moon, space is pretty cool too."

"Koala, I say this because I care, but those are terrible ideas. Thatch would clean that kitchen spotless seconds after the memorial and you'd end up in less desirable areas. And no one can jump that high, so unless you can survive another three centuries of future developments I'm afraid neither option is possible."

Koala only grumbled incoherently to that. "Bring me a sandwich and nobody will have to worry either way."

"If you want it so bad then look to your left and shut up," Ace snapped his anger flaring again. The situation didn't call for jokes, not with the uncertainty of Luffy’s state of mind nor with Sabo and his added injuries.

Izo frowned but said nothing as she returned to the task of fixing the sleeve, watching Ace from the corner of her eye.

"They're going to be fine, you know," Koala said, breaking the silence once more. "They've survived worse."

"That does nothing to dampen the worry." Ace stated turning to the sandwich munching human. "Knowing that they've gone through worse doesn't make the situation any better."

"Ace." Izo warned softly from her seat, Ace however gave no acknowledgement to the chiding looking instead to the pale child, Ace hadn't been there for him and that cut deeper with each moment Luffy refused to open his eyes.

Koala only sighed. "How long was I out?"

"Two days." Ace said before Izo could speak and the older vampire sighed, shaking her head.

"Only for an hour or two, we are going to have to check you for a concussion. Luckily you aren't bleeding internally, but a week or two shall see you to good health once again."

Koala sent an unimpressed glare Ace's way. "Ha ha, very funny. I feel fine, except for the obvious," she said, gesturing to her arm and body in general. "Any idea when they're going to wake up?"

"I was being serious," Ace grumbled under his breath, and Izo rolled her eyes fondly.

"Sabo was given adequate doses of painkillers so he should be out for three more hours or so, and Luffy; we don't know, vampires vary in their response to outside interference and Luffy has not shown any signs of waking, the return of his maker must have triggered his memories. And none of them pleasant."

"No wonder Sabo's been so torn up about it... it must have been pretty awful, what happened to Luffy," Koala murmured. "Sabo has this notion that he needs to protect everybody, it's almost gotten him killed on more than one occasion. And Luffy being involved, that'll just make everything worse. It's probably for the best that he's still sleeping."

"You have no idea," Ace said softly as he looked at the boy and then back to Sabo, "And he is an idiot, sacrificing himself like that." And though his voice said this his tone conveyed no annoyance or I'll will towards him but a strange mixture of chiding and reverence.

Izo looked to Koala and smiled softly, did she really need more proof about Ace caring about Sabo?

"Welcome to Sabo," Koala shrugged, finishing off the sandwich. "He's an idiot that cares too much, always has been always will be. I can't decide whether that makes you lucky or unlucky though," she chuckled.

"Welcome to the club," Ace muttered and slunk in his seat tracing the lines in his palms and not for once wishing that he had brought his sketchbook and pencils along.

"I've been in this club far longer than you, I'm the one who should be welcoming you," Koala joked lightly. After a moment, she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm going back to sleep, wake me when Sabo does?"

Ace's ‘I'll think about it’ was drowned out by Izo's ‘of course dear, get your rest.’

After a while of silence Izo hummed, "Even after two months and you still refuse to give her a chance, Ace dear you're too harsh on her. She's done nothing but try and get along, and before you say anything, no I am not nagging you, I'm just saying that you should return the favor and give her a shot."

Ace glared in Koalas direction and ultimately gave up shrugging his shoulders. "I mean she isn't a bad human... And she takes care of Luffy... But," Ace shrugged.

"I feel like I _shouldn't_ like her, Sabo is... At first it was because he was my other half or whatever and I _had_ to tolerate him. But then I liked having him around, and now." Ace shrugged again, "I don't like him because I owe him, I just do. But her? I have no reason to like her."

"We aren’t saying you have to like anyone, but we still want you to keep an open mind." Izo said softly tying up the last knot and settling the patched up garment aside folded neatly. “Take it into consideration at the very least. And since I am assuming you aren't leaving until both of them wake up, I think I should be in charge of retrieving some food, any requests?"

"Whatever you find is fine Iz," Ace murmured and after a long minute asked, "bring me my sketchbook please? And some charcoal.”

Izo smiled and nodded, "I won't be long." and with that she slipped out.

Not long after Izo left Ace turned to Sabo, a gentle hand reaching out to gently glide through the blonde hair. It was just as soft as it looked and Ace found himself soothed by the contact

"Idiot. You stupid idiotic genius..." Ace murmured under his breath.

"Cutting yourself like that just what were you thinking? When that cut appeared I didn't know what to think, were you attacked, was Luffy? I was... worried about you. And when he... When he _bit_ you I was infuriated, he touched you, he _drank_ from you... But overall he hurt you just he had hurt Luffy and to protect you both I slayed him where he stood."

The silence in the room took over again until a soft rustling grabbed all of Ace's attention, causing him to look to where Luffy was tossing and turning in his sleep

Ace pulled his hand back to himself, and slipped off to join Luffy in his bed, cradling the small boy against his chest and whispering soft reassurances, the past was gone it was never coming back and Ace would do anything he had to to see him through it.

 


	28. Chapter 28

Sabo sighed softly, his head lolling as he began to return to consciousness. He opened his eye, staring blankly at the ceiling as he attempted to reorient himself.

Whichever room he was in was moderately lit with burning candles–if the scent of wax was anything to go by. He could hear quiet breathing a ways away as well, was he not in his room then? His body felt heavy and sore, but the quiet in the room was peaceful, and Sabo could feel himself being pulled under again, eyelids drooping. It was warm, and he lethargically moved a hand to adjust the heavy blanket, sighing again as the cool air met his hot skin.

He would have gone forth with the plan if he had not seen Luffy sitting at the foot of his bed and restricting the blanket from moving more than two inches. Sabo had to blink the sleepy out of his eyes for him to finally meet Luffy’s gaze. The younger boy’s eyes dark in a way that truly expressed the years he had lived through.

"Sabo." was the only thing Luffy could manage out and Sabo hummed, not quite awake just yet.

It took a full minute before the name finally hit home and Sabo's eye opened in awareness. Luffy really was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking unhappy and worried, with a look that was completely out of place on the child. By then Sabo had remembered the events of earlier, and his own worry settled in,

"Luffy? What's wrong?" he asked quietly, reaching out to stroke his dark hair gently. "Are you okay?"

Large drops painted Luffy’s cheeks as he bit his lip and sniffled leaning into Sabos hand. His throat was sealed tight and made worse by the tears but somehow Luffy managed to say, "I'm sorry."

The rest of Sabo's sleepy mood dissipated when Luffy started crying, and Sabo shuffled into an upright position, pulling Luffy into his lap. "Hey, it's okay Luf, I'm alright. It wasn't your fault, I promise."

"It’s-" The sobs came as the guilt overwhelmed the small child his small hands clinging to the material of Sabos shirt and his face burrowed in his chest.

"I'm sorry." Luffy tried again, "I'm sorry I forgot."

"Forgot what?" Sabo asked slowly, still running his hand through Luffy's hair soothingly. After the endless weeks of research he'd done with Marco's help, Sabo knew there was no good way to bring back Luffy's memories, and he'd eventually come to terms with that. There was no picking and choosing, and Luffy's memories were buried deep, deep down as a way to cope with the trauma.

But on the other hand, was it possible that seeing his old tormentor had brought some of them back? All of his efforts in trying to get Luffy to remember him had been in vain, but Sabo had come before the Dollmaker. Sabo knew he wasn't guaranteed to be included in Luffy’s recovered memories. Sabo's heart clenched at the thought, and he squashed the rising hope in his chest, not wanting to see it crushed again right in front of him. It was too painful the first, second, third time, he didn't want to feel that horrible sinking feeling again, ever.

Luffy shook with the force of his sobs, stifling them in Sabos shirt as to not wake Ace, who was fast asleep where Sabo presumed Luffy had slept. Like that he remained, crying his eyes and heart out until the hiccups came, and his eyes ran dry.

"I-I forgot you..." Luffy confessed still hiding in Sabos shirt the sorrow eating away at his voice. "I didn't remember you, Sabo. And... And Makino... And Shanks and Dad... I'm sorry."

Sabo froze, his mind silent as a nameless emotion began to fill him. "You... you remember?" he breathed, hardly daring to believe it as his chest swelled with every feeling known to man until he thought it would burst. "Everything?"

Luffy nodded as best he could in his hiding spot, clinging into Sabo and afraid to let go of him again lest he forget once more. "You're my big brother and you were so tough and I remember you lost your tooth that time we fought the boar."

The emotion in Sabo's chest burst, replaced with such pure joy that it physically ached. He pulled Luffy into a tighter hug, curling up around the boy with such an intensity it was almost as if he hoped to mold them both together. Sabo’s smile was so wide it hurt, and he may have been crying too as he buried his face into Luffy's hair. For a long time he couldn't say anything, overwhelmed with the happiness and joy and relief.

When he finally pulled away, his grin was still bright, looking down at his little brother with fond love. "It's your fault for trying to eat it while it was still alive, idiot."

"I was hungry and the boar looked so delicious and why are you smiling?" Luffy asked finally pulling himself from the large wet stain on Sabo’s shirt and looking up to Sabo guilt still marring his features.

Sniffling Luffy reached out and touched Sabos nose, "You got big too, you're as big as Dad now. Is it because I left?" he asked softly, did Luffy's leaving and getting caught by the stinky old man have this effect on Sabo and caused him to grow up without him? Was his dad here too, was Makino and Shanks?

Sabo shook his head exasperatedly. "I’m smiling because I'm happy," he said simply, content to just watch his brother. "You're not missing out though," he leaned in to tell him a secret, "being a grownup sucks.” But he knew that wasn’t what the worry in his eyes were about. Luffy was worried about something much more important than the trivial notion of growing up.

“It's not your fault what happened Lu, you're still my brother whether I'm twenty or two hundred. I'm just glad to have you back."

Sorrow still lingered in Luffy's eyes as his hand moved over to where Sabos skin was burned, "Dummy Sabo, I know you're still my brother." he said quietly, adding, "I'm sorry I went out without you that day. I missed you Bo."

Sabo tilted his head so Luffy wouldn't have to reach as far. He wasn't ashamed of the scars, but he knew Luffy must be going through alot in his head. "You've never been one to apologize, there's nothing to forgive Lu. I missed you too. The only thing I'm upset about is that I wasn't there to protect you," he said softly, running his fingers through Luffy's hair again in a soothing gesture for both himself and Luffy.

Luffy's hand pulled back hesitantly unsure of what he had done wrong. "But I am." Luffy confessed somberly and ducked his head suddenly missing _home_. Yet Luffy knew that he had a new home now, it was strange he didn't know what he was feeling and his heart hurt, his stomach was in knots and his mind wasn't faring any better. "Don't be sad Sabo... Please."

"I promise not to be if you aren't.” Are you feeling okay? That was probably a lot for you to take in, the remembering I mean."

Luffy nodded but frowned all the same, unsure of just what was about to happen, "Sabo I didn't mean to leave... Are we going back home?"

It clicked in Sabo's mind what Luffy was asking, what was going to happen next. It was something Sabo had put a lot of thought into, but he'd never dared to add Luffy regaining his memory as a factor into it all. "We could, if you want. Or we can stay here and visit home every once in awhile, I know how much you like it here at the castle with Acey and the others. I'll be sticking with you so it's whatever you want to do," Sabo reassured him gently.

Luffy looked over to where Ace was snoring softly into the covers, Ace was as much his father as Dragon had been, and as much as a brother as Sabo had been. "But dad..." Luffy's brow creased, "dad fights the leeches and I'm a leech now, I drink blood just like Acey and Mr. Mustache and Pineapple and everyone..."

"He'd still be glad to see you, vampire or not. He wouldn't hate you for what you are. Nobody in the village would. I used to be a hunter too, nothing says that you can never go back because they're all still human and you aren’t." Sabo spoke softly, reassuring the child.

"Dad hates them though, what if he hates Mr. Mustache and Acey and Marco?" Luffy asked softly unconvinced and new tears were brought to his eyes. "I don’t want him to hate Acey and Mr. Mustache, I want to see Makino and shanks again; I want to see Nami and Zoro and everyone."

Sabo understood Luffy’s train of thought, but he also knew one thing for certain, and he had to make Luffy see that too. "Or, you know Dragon could be grateful to them for protecting you. You don't know for sure, Pineapple always tells you not to assume things, right?" Sabo prodded gently, pulling a nodding Luffy close again in a comforting hug.

"I don't know if Nami and Zoro will still be there, but Makino, Dragon, and all of the others will be so happy to see you again. Why don't we send her a letter? That way when I'm well enough to go back, everything will have had time to settle, and maybe she'll write one back too if there's time?" Sabo suggested, smiling softly down at his brother.

"Can I write it myself?" Luffy asked the smallest bit of hope making it into his voice. "Acey taught me how to write real good."

But before Sabo could respond, a third voice interjected. "You're leaving?"

Luffy startled as he turned wide eyed to were Ace lay, the older vampire was motionless on the sheets but his green eyes were open, impassive, and giving nothing away. Immediately Luffy shook his head furiously but his words didn't know how to come out, he wanted to see his friends and his family, but he wasn't going to abandon Ace and everyone else.

Sabo, too, started slightly when Ace spoke, the vampire's selective hearing had hit again it seemed. But unlike Luffy, Sabo found his voice and spoke for the both of them. "Not forever, but he wants to go home for a visit sometime, right?" Sabo explained, looking down at Luffy to make sure he'd interpreted it correctly.

“But what about you?" Ace asked keeping his eyes on Sabo not needing to see Luffy's nod to know that Luffy was considering visiting his family, he had always known there was a possibility that such a thing would happen. Luffy would ask where he came from and they would have figured it out, then they would either share or loose Luffy. Ace had long and begrudgingly accepted that there could be the possibility of Luffy leaving them and though he had prefered not to think on it, he had to at some point.

Sabo's situation, however, Ace had avoided thinking too much on it. After he had come to tolerate and like Sabo, he couldn't say it wouldn't be hard to let, and see him go.

Sabo lifted his eyes back up to Ace, meeting his gaze evenly. "I'm staying too."

Sabo had never really made a conscious decision about it up until now, but after spending so much time here, Sabo realized that he didn't really want to go anywhere else. He liked it in the castle and he liked its occupants as well, not to mention that Luffy was here. And then there was Ace, but that was a whole different ballpark altogether. "And I don't know about Koala, before you ask. She probably won't, the only reason she's stuck around this long is for me."

Ace stared at Sabo for a good minute and weighed his answer considering it for a good solid minute and after he was done, Ace nodded muttering under his breath about weasels and closing his eyes slipping back off to sleep.

Luffy chuckled resting against Sabo, "Shishishi, Ace does that sometimes wakes up, talks, and sleeps, then forgets in the morning, it's funny," Luffy explained and reached out to hold Sabo’s hands, "I like them all, but Acey is my favorite he's awesome... Do you like Acey, Sabo?"

Sabo snorted, shrugging as Ace apparently went back to sleep. Was it possible to have reverse narcolepsy too? "Mmhmm, I do. I don't think he likes me though," Sabo said, glancing over to Ace again. "So you do want to write a letter?"

Luffy chuckled a secret that was shared to no one but his own. "Mhm, oh look Acey left his book here." Luffy exclaimed reaching out and pulling the pad onto his lap sticking his tongue out in concentration as be snuggled back into Sabo and leafed through the book. A giant smile was given as he looked over the last page in the sketchbook that contained Luffy's answer to Sabo’s pondering.

But before Sabo could look at the page, Luffy flipped the book over and presented a fresh new page. "Okay I’m ready! Is Makino Shanks wife now Sabo?"

"Luffy, we shouldn't use Ace's notebook, he wouldn't like that," Sabo said, tugging the notebook out of Luffy's hands and setting it back down on the table. It was something Sabo knew Ace was private with, he didn't want to mess it up or accidentally see something he shouldn't.

"Why don't we go find Izo and see if we can't find some proper paper? But to answer your question, no, they haven't made it official yet the last I heard from her. Usopp and Kaya are engaged now though, can you believe it?"

"Acey wouldn't mind he lets me see them all the time there's ton of them of me and Marco as a Pineapple and Thatch as a bear and Izo as a crane, oh and I'm a monkey and... you know.” Luffy shrugged a shoulder and Sabo couldn’t say he was slightly disappointed his name wasn’t added to the list.

"Great," Sabo said flatly. He was just still out of the loop then, how nice.

“Shishishi but I bet I can find her first," Luffy challenged and hopped out of Sabos lap. "Really? Usopp finally held her hand?" Luffy asked with his eyes sparkling. "He's more brave than Shanks then!"

"Mmhmm, who would've thought Usopp would be the first," Sabo chuckled, slipping out of the bed as well.

"You're on, Monkey," Sabo grinned, snatching Luffy's hat and placing it on his own head. She was probably in her room, or maybe the kitchens if it was time to eat. That seemed more likely, and Sabo was hungry again now that he thought about it.

"Okayreadysetgo!" Sabo shouted in one breath the moment they exited the room and immediately took off down the hallway. Sabo may be seventeen years older than Luffy in body and slightly in mind, but no way in hell was Sabo going to lose in a race to his little brother, it would be humiliating.

"Shishishi you're on." Luffy laughed and ran past Sabo, unconsciously tapping into his vampire abilities and leaving him behind.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIzzzooooooooo, Izo where are you?" Luffy called out hopping on the railing and riding it to the bottom floor startling a few servants on his way down.

"Luffy get back here!" Sabo shouted, lengthening his stride considerably. His legs were a lot longer than Luffy's and managed to push him in larger lengths, so all hope wasn't lost yet. He sprinted past the same servants and began gaining ground, barely paying attention to where he was going, but knowing it was the shortest route to the kitchen.

When Sabo caught up to Luffy, Sabo scooped him up into his arms, continuing to run at breakneck speeds down the hallway. It'd been awhile since he'd done a full on sprint, but the exertion actually felt nice on his sore legs even if they would hurt some more later on because of it. Sabo let out a laugh of exhilaration as he skidded on a rug in his attempt to turn a corner and managed to slip into a pile of limbs and laughter, still holding Luffy tightly to his chest for sabotage purposes.

"Shishishi Sabo you stingy cheater!" Luffy laughed mirthfully even as they tumbled onto the floor from the sharp turn. Luffy untangled himself as fast as he could from Sabos limbs and ran straight for the kitchens forgetting about Izo and calling out for "Thaaaaaaatchy! Foooooooood!"

Sabo grunted, quickly regaining his footing and sprinting after the child. He knew they were getting close, and Sabo put everything he had into the last stretch. They were neck and neck as the door to the kitchens came into sight, and Sabo reached out with his longer-than-Luffy's arm, fingers grazing the swinging door a full second before the two burst through it into the kitchens.


	29. Chapter 29

Luffy immediately latched onto the back of the chefs head. "Thatchy feed me I ran all the way down here and _I_ beat Sabo, shishishi I get the winners meal, so so what is it. Oh and have you seen Izzy, she's here right because you're braver than Shanks right?"

"Shanks?" Thatch asked, glancing over to Sabo with a questioning look before moving on to making a smaller version of a winner’s meal.

"Sabo, nice to see you up, but should you really be running in your condition?" Izo asked from her place on a stool, a darkened glass in her hand.

Sabo didn't immediately respond to the questions, instead choosing to dramatically collapse onto the floor, chest heaving for oxygen. A huge stupid grin was on his face though, and Sabo gave out a breathless laugh. That was probably the most fun he'd had in _ages_ , he couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten his heart pumping like this. In a non-life threatening scenario, that is.

"I won... for your information," he panted after a long moment, glaring at Luffy. "Thatch, Shanks is the guy... gave Luffy the hat. Izo, probably not... but it was _fun_ ," he grinned, giving a thumbs up in her general direction as he couldn't really see her from this angle. "What's for dinner?"

Though his larger than life smile shone on Luffy's face he shook his head, "Nuh-uh Thatchy don't listen to him _I_ won and Sabo cheated because he's stingy and wants the winner meal but I get it right?"

Thatch laughed, and took Luffy's argument into consideration. "Well Blondie, he did touch the chef first so the win goes to Luffy." And with that Luffy cheered pumping his fists into the air while listing off everything he wanted in his meal.

Izo by that time had already reached Sabos side and helped him up and to a chair. "While I understand your need for fun dear it's also counterproductive here, reopening your wounds will do nobody any favors."

“Shishishi, I win and Sabo loses! Thatchy said so!” Luffy cheered again pumping his small fists into the air once more

"No, your exact words were 'I bet I can find her first', meaning Izo, not Thatch. So by your own logic I won because I touched her first. And I didn't cheat, you never set any rules so there." Sabo nodded smugly.

"Either way Blondie you’re on a restricted diet, so sit your hiney down, you're having–" Thatch stopped himself the moment he took notice of something Luffy had said, it seemed that Izo had come to the same realization and creased her brow in confusion.

"Luffy dear," she spoke softly. "Who is Shanks?"

"Shishishi, he's a pirate Izzy, and he gave me this hat when me and Sabo were little. Why, do you know him?" he asked curiously large brown eyes imploring her gaze.

Thatch gently patted the top of Luffy's head, understanding becoming clear. "Sorry kiddo, the only pirate we know is you, did you say you wanted relish?"

While Thatch distracted Luffy with ingredients, Izo sat across from Sabo, "I had a feeling that was happening when I felt Luffy's inner turmoil, how are you holding up dear? Also I believe I heard you're getting a fruit salad due to your new cuts and bruises."

Sabo groaned. What was it with these vampires and sentencing everybody to light diets? "Meat isn't going to kill me you know," he hinted, but couldn't really bring himself to feel irritated.

"I'm good. Great, actually." His body felt lighter than it had in a long, long time, and Sabo knew exactly why. His eye stayed on Luffy, never able to turn away for more than a second or two. Sabo knew he was smiling goofily again, but it was something he couldn't help and didn't even want to.

Izo smiled gently. “That is wonderful to hear Sabo, you had us all worried there for a bit, but I am sure everyone will be pleased to know that you are in good spirits.”

“Especially that girly of yours, she’s been moping in the kitchen all day and I’m sorry to say Luff, but she ate three tubs of your ice cream.” Thatch said with a shake of his head and the child on his shoulders let out a soft gasp before he dropped from his shoulders and ran to where they kept the ice cream supply.

True enough where Luffy’s stash of ice cream had once been, was now empty and taunting. Luffy pouted and slinked back over to Thatch, his eyes big and hopeful.

“But you can make more right Thatchy?” Luffy asked with his large doe eyes looking over to the chef who laughed and nodded very seriously, picking Luffy back up and discussing future ice cream recipes.

“We kept her away from the special ice cream treats, but Luffy still enjoys those that don’t contain any added plasma, blood can survive in a frozen state for quite some time and in the summer, it’s a treat.” She explained sliding the prearranged meal in his direction and offering a fork.

“Koala came to see the truth behind the link while you were resting, Sabo I just wish to warn you that Koala is... well I’m sure you know by now how she expresses herself. She is upset but not for the reasons I originally thought.” Izo shrugged helplessly, a sheepish smile coming to her lips.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to hop onto whatever ideas Thatch thinks up, but rest assured things have been cleared up.”

"Blood ice cream? I know you said he was into making ice cream but, that sounds... interesting actually." Sabo took the fork and sullenly began eating the fruit salad.

“It’s a delicacy as well, not many families know how to get the mixture just right.” Izo confided with a wink sent his way.

Sabi smiled, though thinking back to Koala turned the smile into a grimace, "Yeah, I figured as much. Don't worry about assuming, I’m sure everybody here thought we were together at one point or another. Where is she now?" he asked warily, glancing at the door as if she was going to come in any minute.

“She’s closing in, it won’t be long now, would you like to speak with her privately?” she asked glancing at Thatch and Luffy who were looking over the big book of ice cream recipes.

"Uh..." Sabo started but never got to finish.

Just then, the door opened and none other than Koala stepped through. "He wasn't there, are you sure you-" She stopped as her gaze landed on Sabo, expression unreadable.

Sabo smiled meekly, waving to her with the fork and bracing himself for what was to come next. "Hi."

Koala said nothing at first, curtly crossing the room in a few steps before slapping Sabo across the face, hard. "You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?"

Sabo flinched, hissing at the sharp pain that flared across his cheek. He stood up, backing a few feet away reflexively, rubbing his face where he knew a bright red mark was forming. He couldn’t fault her though, Koala was _pissed_.

"Okay okay, I know I deserved that and you have every right to be pissed, but _fuck_ that hurt!" Sabo groaned checking to see if the inside of his mouth or lip were bitten in the process and thus bleeding.

Thatch whistled lowly just as Izo stood to intervene should it be necessary.

“That’s some lover’s quarrel I’m telling you.” Thatch commented into the thick silence and Izo sighed, “I will leave you two to _talk_ this out, remember that Sabo isn’t the only one receiving the hit Koala darling.” she advised tilting her head upwards as the sound of crashing furniture was heard.

“Come Thatch let’s check up on Ace, and make sure the infirmary ward isn’t trashed in his wake.” she said ushering Thatch out of the kitchen, Luffy appeased by a bag of candy she produced from a cabinet.

Once they were both out Koala crossed her arms, her anger not dissipating in the least as she spoke again. “Do you realize how reckless that was Sabo? Cutting your arm like that and then _offering_ yourself over to him? What the hell were you thinking? Were you thinking at all?!”

Sabo sighed and sat back down at the table, sensing that Koala wasn't going to slap him again, if he chose his words carefully that is.

"He was going to snap your neck," Sabo started, not regretting his actions themselves only that he'd worried Koala in the process. "What was I supposed to do, let him kill you, kill me, then take back Luffy? At least that way Ace knew we were in trouble."

“You have a family now Bo, you just can’t go carelessly into battle anymore and throw your life away. What if you had offered and he killed me anyway, then he would have no one standing in between him and Luffy.” Koala argued and her shoulders slumped. “You idiot, what if he killed you, what would any of us do without you?”

"Then at least I tried," Sabo replied soberly. "If I'd done nothing we would have died. If he killed me anyways, then at least you had a chance to survive."

He bit his lip hesitantly, debating what he was going to say next. "You're probably going to find out at some point or another so I should say this now before you hear it from someone else. After you passed out, it was more than just... offering." He slid off the left sleeve of his shirt, presenting his shoulder where the vampire had bit him. "He drank some too. Please don't hit me again?" he asked nervously, bracing himself just in case.

Koala gasped softly and her anger left her eyes. “He did bite you, he drank from you,” she whispered and before either of them knew it she was helping Sabo slip the garment back into place. “I heard them say it.. I’m sorry I was not there to help you.”

"Stop that," Sabo said sternly, seeing the guilt in Koala's eyes. "You did everything you could and we all survived because of it. I wouldn't have lasted a minute by myself, I didn't even realize he was there at first, remember?"

“Still,” Koala grumbled and sighed, “I was to take care of you, I was more or less the commanding officer Sabo, and I let you both down.” She stopped and ran a hand through her hair.

“But you’re right. Moping in the what ifs and I should’ves aren’t going to change anything… just don’t do that again or I will hurt you even worse than that,” she threatened and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m just so glad you’re okay Sabo.”

Sabo smiled and hugged Koala back tight. "I don't plan on it," he chuckled, wanting to lighten the mood. "How's your wrist holding up? I've been sentenced to twenty more years of 'a light diet' thanks to that, so on the bright side, at least you don't have to suffer through fruit salad every day."

Koala chuckled, “Yeah, crazy isn’t it the way these guys link the health of people and food, but then again can we really be surprised? Not only is Thatch’s food like a miracle on my tongue, but they _do_ heal with eating, or rather drinking blood. I wasn’t allowed to eat ‘heavy’ foods until just a few hours ago, you were out for about ten hours since I woke up, so a total of twelve, possibly thirteen hours.”

Koala swiped a kiwi cube and smiled softly, “So he came to your rescue, huh? Who would have thought that grumpy ol Acey had such a soft spot for you, I’m almost jealous,” Koala teased, aiming to take another piece of fruit.

"A soft spot? Are we talking about the same Ace here?" Sabo joked, motioning for Koala to go ahead and take some fruit. "If anything he has a hard spot for me, he just... fell asleep when I told him I was staying. No reaction."

In truth Sabo knew that probably wasn't what actually happened. Ace's narcolepsy was unpredictable at best, so he couldn't really be upset that Ace had fallen back asleep. Sabo liked to think that he'd gotten to know Ace pretty well over the past couple months, and he noticed that the moments when Ace let his guard down around Sabo were far more common than before. Sabo found himself easily slipping into being around Ace too, and there was a lot to like under the prickly exterior he wore.

It felt natural between them despite the entirely unnatural circumstances, and Sabo wondered if there was some credibility to this soulmate thing after all. Even if they were never going to be romantic, Sabo could definitely have a friend in Ace if the vampire would ever get past... whatever was still holding him back.

Sabo pondered on this as he speared a pear with his fork, chewing it thoughtfully. "What do you think his problem still is? It's not that he doesn't like me, I can tell he does. And I don't think it's so much that I'm human any more either, or an ex-hunter. Maybe something to do with Luffy still?"

Koala took a peach and hummed as she pondered Sabo’s questions. “I doubt it has anything to do with Luffy, if anything Luffy was the one thing that brought you two together in the first place, other than the soulmate pain and whatever else comes with it. Do you think his problem might be that he doesn’t know how to deal with _this_?” She gestured to Sabo and then the bite mark.

“While you and Ace were having your little talks by the fireplace, I was doing some information gathering. Interestingly enough, if you get Marco drunk enough, the dude’s like a fountain of information. Did you know that he was once a big rebel? He stood up to Whitebeard and slammed doors like the little troubled pineapple he was and everything.”

Sabo laughed at that, covering his mouth with the back of his hand to stop himself from accidentally spitting out the fruit. "How did you get _Marco_ drunk? He's practically the definition of a prohibitionist, it'd take nothing short of a miracle."

Koala rolled her eyes fondly, “I have my ways Sabo, but it was pretty fun. Not to mention a great way to help him unwind from the pressures of being the heir and whatnot; though he definitely wasn’t thanking me the next morning.

“Anyways, get this. Ace has never in all his couple hundred years been in a serious relationship since he’s avoided large gatherings and such. I mean not like you have had a better chance at a romance.”She shrugged. “But you get along with people better than he does, so maybe just maybe he’s waiting on your lead.”

"I take offense to that you know," Sabo said, mirth fading some at Koala's flippant comment on his love life. "Just because I don't date doesn't mean I'm incapable of it. And if you think he'll do anything short of punch me if I try anything, then clearly you have not done enough information gathering. This link doesn't _have_ to be romantic, you know."

Look, I didn’t mean to diss on your dating life and I’m not saying date the guy. I’m saying that you have an easier time approaching people and being nicer than Ace, the link can lead to the most amazing bromance of all time if you will, but one of you has to break the wall that prevents you two from reaching out. And since Ace doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who will take the first punch, then you need to be the one to take the stand.

“Look how far you two have gotten, from him ignoring you to him going out of his way to save you. Marco told me the jumped out of the third story window, if that doesn’t say friendship on some level, then what does?” she asked, spearing a grape and offering it to Sabo.

"A third story window?" Sabo asked disbelievingly. "It says that he's insane, that's what," he scoffed, taking the offered grape. "He's lucky he didn't break his legs. Or, our legs I guess."

He could see the logic in what Koala was saying, but that didn't mean he had to like it. "I'm fine with how things are going now," he said, digging for a strawberry near the bottom and offering it to Koala in return.

“I doubt that was the first time he has had to jump out of the third or any window, didn’t you say his own bedroom has reinforced windows?” she asked and gladly took the strawberry, splitting it in half and giving him one side.

“But, I thought it was kind of sweet you know, the way he defended you… he himself says that he only cares about his family, so if he cares about you, doesn’t that make you his family?” she asked, chewing on the berry.

"Defended me when? You weren't awake when he showed up," he asked, eating a pineapple slice with a smirk. He couldn't help it any more, pineapples invariably reminded Sabo of Marco and vice versa, the fruit had been completely ruined for him forever.

“I may or may not have been trying to sleep at the time that Ace and Izo were talking about certain things and other things were mentioned,” Koala said after a few moments of debate with herself.

“I didn’t mean to listen in, but they assumed I was asleep and well...” she bit her bottom lip. “I heard some things, but I went to sleep right in the middle of it and left them to their privacy,” she assured.

"Ah, so you just happened to be listening in when they were talking about the one thing you wanted to know more about, I see." Sabo rolled his eyes. "What did he defend me from though? I still don't understand." he frowned, picking up a banana slice and twirling it on his fork.

“Hey, it was their fault for discussing things aloud that they didn’t want others like me to know about,” Koala defended with a huff and bit into a slice of an apple, munching on it a little harsher than she should.

“And what do you mean what did he defend you from, didn’t he rescue you from the big baddie in the wood? Or was I just imagining everything that happened last night and this cast is just a fashion statement?”

"I thought you were talking about something he said while I was asleep? Yeah he came, Luffy was with us. Why wouldn't he have come?" Sabo asked, his confusion growing.

Koala groaned and rubbed her hand over her face. “Sabo he didn’t _just_ save Luffy from that vamp, he saved you and me by default too. He could have just taken off with Luffy and not looked back and leave you and me to distract the vamp before coming back and finishing the job. I may have been knocked out but I know for a fact that it didn’t go down that way did it?”

"No, but if he'd done that the vampire just would have given chase to him. It was the vampire who turned Luffy, there's no way Ace would have ran from that fight. But it's not like he would have left us for dead either, Ace isn't that kind of guy."

Koala couldn’t believe how this was going down. “Actually, yes. _Yes_ he would have left us to be the bait Sabo. If he was the Ace we knew from a few months ago. Might I remind you that those two months of you two getting along did nothing short of saving our lives from that vampire. Yes he was the guy that stole Luffy and turned him into a vampire, but that didn’t mean Ace had to do anything to save us. We could have just been collateral damage in the entire deal, but we weren’t.”

"Why does it matter what he would have done two months ago?" Sabo asked bewilderedly. "I know that we survived..." He was missing something obvious here, about Ace but not Luffy? "Are you saying it had something to do with me?"

It took all of Koala’s will not to slam her face into the nearest flat surface and leave it there until Sabo caught the hints she was dropping for him. “Sabo I swear to whatever deity that you worship that I will beat your skull in if you keep missing what I keep trying to tell you,” she said near exasperatedly.

“That is _exactly_ what I am trying to tell you Sabo. He did it for you too, not just Luffy. Don’t tell him I said this–in fact, don’t even hint that you know that he was upset that the vampire drank from you.“ Then in a much softer voice, Koala added, “Sabo he does care about you, he’s just too dense to see that, and incredibly enough, _so are you_.”

Sabo backed away from Koala immediately, eyeing her warily. "I am not dense, I just thought that it was pretty obvious by this point that Ace doesn’t hate me,” he defended, but stopped to consider the rest of her words.

"You heard him say that?" he asked in a much quieter tone, taking in the information. Ace had been upset about what happened to him?

“It was sensitive information that I wasn’t meant to hear Sabo, it isn’t something that I am just free to say.” Koala pouted and shook her head, “But I have said enough, why don’t you go talk to him and find out for yourself if you don’t believe me?”

"I..." Sabo didn't know what he could possibly say, what he would do with this information, but he suspected that Koala wasn't really giving him a choice in the matter. "Alright. "

He stood up from the table, snagging one last orange slice from the plate. "If and when this goes wrong, I'm blaming you," he informed her before promptly stepping out of the room, leaving the rest of his snack for her to finish.

Where was Ace even hiding? He knew the others had left to go check on the infirmary, but Sabo doubted Ace would still be there. And they all knew that when Ace didn’t want to be found, he wouldn’t be until he was ready.

Sabo wandered through the castle, checking all the usual spots; Ace's bedroom, the library, even his own bedroom until the only reasonable option left was the roof. Once he reached the the spiral staircase that lead up to the door outside, Sabo found himself hesitating, still having no idea what he would say. Sabo had already known that Ace liked him even if the vampire wouldn't admit it, but trusting and caring about him was entirely different. Why else would Ace have let Sabo run off with Luffy?

He shook his head exasperatedly as his thoughts continued circling and looping back to each other. He was overthinking this, _again_. It was just Ace, even if Sabo was just now finding this out, nothing had changed from Ace's point of view.

With that thought in mind, he stepped out onto the roof, instantly spotting a familiar figure sitting at the edge. It was a beautiful night out, even if the wind was cold. The stars shone brightly in the sky like little diamonds and the moon was bright, he was sure that Ace appreciated the scenery.


	30. Chapter 30

Ace had been initially angry when he was rudely awoken from his sleep by a stinging slap to his cheek. He had woken with sleep blurring his vision and rage fueling his actions, and a few things had been slammed into the walls.

After Izo had come in to explain, Ace had had half a mind to march down the stairs and return the blow to Koala. Who did she think she was going around hitting people like that, especially after his warning? But both Thatch and Izo prevented him from doing so and persuaded him otherwise. Then Luffy had filled Ace in on the events since his waking, telling him of how he remembered his older brother and a few stories of what the two had done in their youth.

The realization that Luffy remembered Sabo got Ace thinking, and not about something he was too keen on, so Ace went to the one place where he knew he could sort through his feelings by himself.

The moon had risen to its peak not too long before he heard the quiet shuffling of slippers on the roof. Sabo had come to join him, and Ace let him approach just as he had all those other times before, finding that with each time he minded less and less.

Sabo approached Ace, sitting down with him the way he had all the times before, looking up at the sky. "Thank you," he said after a beat, figuring it was as good a place to start as any. "You saved my life."

Ace looked over to Sabo with slight confusion creasing his brow. “You… don’t have to thank me you know. If anything, I have to thank you for saving Luffy, and he tells me he remembers you now… I’m glad,” Ace said and he meant it, chewing on his bottom lip before he spoke again.

“He also made me see that I was wrong about you being in his life again. His memories of that time with the man are not something I ever wanted him to remember, but to see him talk about you the way he does and how you two used to be so close... well I’m sorry that I tried to stop that from ever happening.”

"But I wanted to," Sabo shrugged, though there was a smile on his face. "You don't have to thank me either though, Luffy will always be my brother whether he remembered everything or not. And I'm sorry to say it, but I wasn't going anywhere whether or not you wanted me to," he teased, bumping Ace's shoulder with his own. "Either he would have remembered or he wouldn't. I'm just glad he did, even if everything else came with it too. But now we're here, so he doesn't have to be alone any more.

"And I know I probably freaked you out then, just randomly slicing my arm like that, so sorry," he offered, smiling meekly. "It was my best option at the time."

“Yeah that was…” Ace ran a hand over the phantom cut that had been there not even a day before. “I’m not gonna lie Sabo, that was… scary. I could feel your dread and fear over the situation, and then when the cut came… Sabo it’s something I don’t ever want to experience again, not knowing where you are or what’s happening, it’s a torture in itself,” Ace confessed, eyes still on the moon and unable to look at Sabo just yet.

“And I’m not just saying that because of the link between you and me, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt even if it didn’t come back at me and bit me on the ass. And I realize that I am probably the last person who should be saying anything about hurting you because I know that I am your worst offender, but it’s true. I don’t want you to be scared or be hurt outside of these walls or within them.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Sabo sighed–feeling Ace’s distress and self loathing–and leaned his head on Ace’s shoulder in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “I’m not planning to ever repeat that, believe me. Is that what’s holding you back? You still feel guilty about what happened in the dungeons?” he asked softly, thinking back on what Koala had said.

“I forgave you for that the minute you showed up in the clearing. You saved my life, and Koala’s, when you didn’t necessarily have to. If that doesn’t make up for almost killing me, I don’t know what will. Yeah, the tar ruined a lot for me, but I’m still alive, and I’m grateful for that.”

Ace flinched at the outward mention of the dungeons, Sabo may have forgiven him, but he still hadn’t forgiven himself for his actions. “I killed a ghost of the past; he should have been dead fourteen years ago but because I assumed he was dead, he was able to return to haunt us. I had slit his throat open, but he recovered from that it seems.”

A long pause passed between the two and Ace tentatively rested his head on top of Sabo’s. “You wouldn’t have been in that danger if I had cut off his head that first time, twice you’ve almost died and all because I was either ignorant or stupid. So yes, yes I do still feel guilt over what happened,” Ace confessed and closed his eyes.

“I’ve been afraid to admit it this entire time, I admitted I regretted the action yes, but I never told you how much I wish I could take it back. I was ready to kill you, and for no reason other than for what you were. In a way, that made me no better than the humans that killed my mom and Roger. I had turned into my own nightmares and I was frightened to admit that so much that I had never dared say it aloud.”

"But because things happened the way they did, Luffy remembers all of the good parts of his childhood as well, and I have my brother back too. What if he'd come back a hundred years from now, when we're all long dead and Luffy remembered too late? You can't blame yourself for something you had no knowledge of Ace, you couldn't have known he would survive an injury like that. It's the same principle as my not protecting Lu from being taken in the first place," Sabo insisted, knowing very well the irony behind the situation.

"You can't let yourself be swallowed by what if's and should have's, they'll only eat you alive, I know that better than anybody. There's nothing we can do to change the past, whether it was yesterday, fourteen years ago, or two hundred years ago. The difference between you and those men is that if you could, you would take the order back. Do you think they ever felt remorse for what they did? You can't compare yourself to them," Sabo said softly.

“I wouldn’t have back then,” Ace murmured, “I know I would’ve done it again and that is why I am like them, but then I got to know you and everything changed.“

Ace snorted softly. “I guess I have Izo to thank for that, locking us in that room. It was the day I first got to talk to you, not like one of them, but just you, and then–” Ace stopped, unsure of how to form the words that were playing in his mind. “The wea–Koala, asked me something while you were still asleep, or out cold really.” Ace tried to shrug and remembered that Sabo was on his shoulder, so he shrugged his unoccupied shoulder, biding his time.

“She asked if I–Well. She asked if– she asked what my reason was for going there and rescuing you and well her too.” Ace supplied lamely.

“I want to say it was all because of Luffy. I wanted to tell her that Luffy and the man that turned him were the only reason I was there, for revenge and nothing more. But that isn’t true, or at least not all true. Luffy wasn’t the only reason.”

Sabo smiled, straightening his legs so they suspended in the air and he was able to get a good view of his newly replaced dragon slippers. "You came for me too," he said simply.

"You didn't know that the Dollmaker was around, and I could have just cut myself accidentally. But, you came because you were worried." Sabo knew he was right. Koala's words were perfectly aligning with Ace's, and a warm feeling was pooling in Sabo's chest. He felt... safe, up here with Ace. There was nothing quite like being around people who cared about you, even if one of them wouldn't admit it.

"We're not going to let you turn into a monster, Ace. You'll never be like those men because we won't allow it- _I_ won't allow it. You have a good heart, even if it is damaged."

“I know accidental cuts Sabo, sleeping at random times in the oddest of places has its advantages. Such a straight line was either intentionally self inflicted or someone was attacking you. The angle was wrong too; an accidental cut wouldn’t have been directly right here,” he said taking Sabo’s hand and used Sabo’s fingers to trace over where he had felt the cut the previous day, sure that Sabo would feel it on his arm without the pain that way.

Ace studied Sabo’s hand as it traced across the invisible line that had stung not even a day before, and then tentatively he pulled his arm up, his palm against Sabo’s and laced their fingers together. A smile flourished on Ace’s lips as their hands fit together, warmth shared between them and filling Ace in a way that left him wondering if he was indeed experiencing his own feelings or Sabo’s, but ultimately not caring who’s they were.

“Thank you,” Ace whispered his smile refusing to leave. “Thank you for the reassurance, Sabo. Really, I mean it; thank you for giving me a second chance, for putting up with my shit and for... just being _you_.”

Sabo observed their linked hands with interest, noticing how pale and grey Ace's skin looked when compared to his own skin tone. It was still odd at times, thinking that Ace of all people was his soulmate when it seemed like there were just so many differences between them. By all logic they should have hated each other. Sabo should resent Ace for what he'd done and Ace should despise Sabo for being even remotely similar to the men who'd ripped his family apart, but they didn't. Trying to describe it was hard, there was no good way to explain why things just seemed to be falling into place.

"Anytime," he replied easily, and he meant it. "Though if you keep being sentimental like this you might trick me into thinking you actually like me," he teased, pressing against Ace's shoulder and feeling that same pressure on his own on the other side.

Ace rolled his eyes and set their hands down between them, though what he had first taken as a flippant comment, he soon realized that it had more meaning that he had given it credit for. Maybe Sabo hadn’t meant to load the sentence as much meaning as Ace was placing on it, but Ace couldn’t see the words any other way now that he heard them and with his, Izo’s and Koala’s conversation earlier that night.

Sabo’s words caused something to coil tighter in Ace’s stomach. Ace searched that feeling, and came to realize that it was nervousness.

“Would it be a bad thing… for me to like you?” Ace asked quietly.

Sabo could feel the nerves, noticed how Ace's body language wasn't as relaxed as it could be. Maybe it was due to the fact that Sabo was so close to Ace, enough so that they were touching that made them so in tune with one another, or perhaps it was something else, or nothing at all. It could have been the time they spent together that Sabo knew how to discern small changes in Ace. But the shift was there, clear as day and so easy for Sabo to spot.

"No..." Sabo sighed after a moment, his eyes closing gently and just absorbing Ace's presence.

The fluttering anxiousness in his stomach was tripping Sabo up too, but he didn't think it was just Ace who was nervous now. He swallowed the feeling down though, even as he finally gave breath to the thought that had been slowly growing in the back of his mind for months now.

"It would be nice. I like _you_ , a lot actually. I like being around you, whether it's as friends or... something more," he confessed, face heating up. "Or not. It feels..." he trailed off, not knowing how to explain what he was trying to say. "Better than right. Not perfect, but close."

“Do you really?” Ace asked before he could help himself. Sabo _liked_ being around him? Yes they had been getting to know eachother better and they had talked for hours on end, but to think that Sabo actually liked being around him, considered him a friend? The concept and idea of it was so foreign to Ace that he was unsure of just what was happening between them.

“Something more?” Ace repeated in a question. “You mean like family? Does that mean you will be staying here with us? You won’t be returning with Koala to wherever it is you came from… don’t you have a home and family waiting out there for you?”

"Well, yeah, you think I did all that paperwork for you cause I like doing paperwork? Stop acting so surprised, it's making me feel weird," Sabo accused, though his tone showed no real annoyance. "I told you I was staying earlier, but I guess you don't remember that,” Sabo sighed and shook his head fondly.

"No, I love Koala and I love where I grew up, but home is wherever my family is. There's nothing left for me with the hunters or any of that. I never originally wanted to join and be a hunter, but Dragon-san said it would be the best way to protect everybody, so I figured that's what I should do. Not that I didn't like it, but pursuing a career in vampire enforcement was never what I wanted to do with my life," he revealed hesitantly. It was something he'd never told anybody before, and having something like that out in the open was unsettling. "I love the villagers, but they're not my family the way Luffy is.”

 _"He will_ never _be a part of my family_."

Sabo paused, licking his lips uncertainly as he thought back to the conversation he’d overheard in the library all those months ago. “I... want to join yours, if you'd be alright with that."

“You told me, when?” Ace couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice and his cheeks felt warm even as he realized that he was doing the exact opposite of what was asked of him. When exactly had Sabo told this to Ace that he didn’t remember? Yesterday? Last week, a few hours ago? He couldn’t recall.

“I don’t remember,” Ace said honestly unable to keep the growing smile that was becoming more and more present with every moment he spent with Sabo up here on the roof. “Of course you’re family, idiot,” Ace scoffed, though no bite was added to his words.

“I believe that was something that was explained on the very first day that Izo talked to you, you _are_ part of this family whether you’re here with us or away doing your own thing. You have a family with us whether you choose to live here or not; I’m afraid you’re stuck with all of us, crazy and all,” Ace stated with a chuckle and sobered up quickly. “We would all love it if you stayed here.”

"Yeah, well that was still around the time I thought you all were insane and or suicidal. Still do, actually." Sabo grinned at his own inside joke, but said nothing more on the subject. His body relaxed at the acceptance, and Sabo was leaning against Ace, happy with the way things had turned out.

“What did you want to really do?” Ace implored quietly. “You can still be whatever you wish to be here, with Luffy and the family, with Oyaji… and with me.”

"It's not something I ever really considered and I don't know if it even counts as something I would want to do with the rest of my life... but when I was really young, before I lost my parents, I thought that I would be an author one day. I never actually wrote anything so I doubt I'd be any good at it, but I thought it would be cool to explore the world and write stories on all the things I'd see."

“Wow...” Ace whistled lowly as he listened to Sabo speak of his interests before he was involved in their world.

“Just when you think that you and I can’t be any more different, a writer huh? Literacy and art can go hand in hand but it’s also quite the opposite thing. Writing is a good start though, if it really is something you want to do, I think you should pursue it. It’s never too late for you to start doing it after all, maybe it’s like painting. Just look out and use the inspiration around you.”

"I don't know, I never really considered it but I guess I could try?" Sabo bit his lip, thinking.

"It's... weird, thinking about the rest of my life. Most hunters die young in battles or they harden, grow old and keep fighting until they just can't any more, and some keep going even after they reach that point. Being a hunter is something you dedicate your life to, regardless of why you joined. People can and have left the ranks obviously, but that group is a minority within a minority, wanting to leave then actually leaving seems like a foreign concept to most of us.

“And quite honestly, I always figured I would be part of the first group, offering up my life to save someone else's, and yet here I am, despite the countless opportunities I've had. Not that I ever wanted to die, but I figured if it's going to happen eventually, that would be the best case scenario, you know? And now that I have the rest of my life to think about, I have _no_ clue what to do with it. I've been a hunter for so long I don't know what to do with myself now that I'm no longer one of them,” Sabo confessed quietly.

He would be fiddling with his gloves if he could, but he wasn't wearing them, and one of his hands was occupied anyways. Thus Sabo settled for releasing his nervousness by tapping his free fingers against his thigh.

"That was a pretty morbid thought for someone so young, don't you think? And you're talking to the guy whose heart hasn't taken a single best for over a couple of centuries. But I can say this much-or well, if my experiences have taught me anything in my prolonged lifetime-is that you don't have to decide things here and now. Let the future be the future. Sabo, you have _years_ to figure out what you want to do, and we can all help you find that one thing meant for you," Ace reassured him, giving a gentle squeeze to the hand he held.

"And if this" Ace swayed their hands together, "has taught me anything, it’s that nothing is set in stone and there are countless possibilities as to what the future can hold. Even if many of them are ones that you can't quite see until they bite you in the ass."

Sabo only shrugged in response. "I know it's morbid, but after everything that happened, it's hard not to have that sort of mentality. Most of my mind doesn't really think like that, but there's always that one little part of me that thinks up the worst case scenarios. And if we're honest, such scenarios are most often than not the most realistic possibilities.

"But yeah, thanks. I'll give some thought into the author thing or maybe something else, you'll be the first to know when I decide to do something with my life. How about you, do you want to be an artist, have you ever done anything with them? I mean, you must've since you're really good," he complimented.

"Do I want to be an artist?" Ace repeated with mock hurt. "And here I thought I _was_ one, or at the very least doing a pretty great impression of portraying one.” Ace chuckled and shrugged his unoccupied shoulder once more.

“I never really placed much thought into selling them. The hobby was something I did as to not forget my mom, so I drew her like a madman and with time, I made her memory stay. Once I accomplished that, I started drawing members of the house, then Luffy, and now," Ace offered over the sketchbook that had accompanied him to the roof after his rude awakening.

"It started with the blue in your eyes,then the sunlight in your hair..."

"You've been drawing me?" Sabo asked, genuinely surprised and took Ace’s sketchbook at the others insistence. He stared at the worn leather cover until Ace gently nudged their shoulders. With his resolve steeled, Sabo nodded and opened the book, his eye going over the first picture, and smiling when he was greeted by Rogue.

Sabo thumbed through the sketchbook, seeing some of the drawings Luffy had mentioned earlier; him as a monkey, Izo as a crane, and Marco as a pineapple. Once past the halfway point, Sabo came across the half finished sketches of himself. And while they were all quite good, Sabo couldn't help but notice tiny flaws here and there. "I haven't seen you doing these, are they all from memory?"

Sabo was about to joke and ask if Ace watched him while he slept, but the jest died on his tongue when he came across a particular page. It was clearly a work in progress, and Sabo couldn't help but be enraptured by it. The page depicted Sabo looking out into the horizon from a window within the castle, the drapes billowing softly and the air making his hair dance as well, and Sabo looked so content, so serene, just like someone who knew exactly where his home and heart lay.

"I never ask anyone to sit still for me, not that most of them could do it even if I asked. So yeah, over the years I learned to capture moments as best as I could and jot them down until it all came together. And if I really like the scene, it often makes it onto canvas," Ace explained and flipped the page to the next sketch that pictured half a dozen Sabo portraits, some looking at the viewer and others in different angles, but all of them had one thing in common.

"I like drawing your smiles. They're not as big as Luffy's of course, I don't think anyone could ever hold a light to his sunshine, but your smiles are warm, tentative, not quite sure at times but completely sincere. They’re completely different to your fake smiles too, the ones you showed everyone when you first got here, don't think the others didn't notice. The smiles you give us now are genuine and that small tint of sadness they had at first is fading away... I'm glad it's going away too, I like your smiles."

A smile came to Sabo's lips at the compliment, thoroughly flattered by Ace's words. It struck Sabo again how odd this relationship was between them, but nonetheless he found himself returning the favor. "Your smiles are nice too. You smile with your eyes, it's actually really infectious too. It's almost like there's some inside joke you're laughing at that nobody else understands and it asks us to smile along if we hope to be in the know."

Sabo knew he was borderline rambling, but he didn't care, he could do so with Ace without a worry and he took comfort in that.

“I like this one," Sabo said after a moment, pausing his skimming to focus on one particular drawing. It was of Sabo and Luffy out in the courtyard, sword fighting with sticks. They were both laughing, an eager grin on Luffy's face and a confident smirk on his own. They looked alive and full of energy, like they were going to continue the fight any moment now. "I don't see how you can draw this well, honestly. Share some talent with the rest of us," he teased.

"Lock yourself away for a century and you discover all sorts of new things," Ace said sagely, trying to hide the fierce blush on his cheeks at the compliment and chuckled. "But in all honesty, it isn't the best way for you to find a muse, so stay out here have fun and wait for it to come to you. Or if you want," Ace paused and looked away from the pages to glance up at Sabo.

"We can go look for it. You said you wanted to see places, what's holding you back now? You were restricted to your duties before, but now you don't have to stay in one set path. You, Luffy, and I can take off and see where we end up knowing full well we will always have a home to return to."

"You're serious?" Sabo looked up at Ace, surprised by the gesture. "And you'd want to come with me? All of that traveling would get expensive, I can't ask you guys to pay for it all, super rich royal family or not."

Ace laughed and nudged Sabo’s shoulder playfully. "I mean it, we need to explore just as much as you do. Don't think of it as us paying, but as a ‘welcome to the family, here's a golden egg’. Besides, it isn't all that expensive really if we walk, I could carry you too, if you want."

"Like I'm going to let you give me a piggyback ride around the continent," Sabo scoffed. "Luffy would get jealous."

"You think I can't carry you both?" Ace asked, brow rising in question before relenting. "Okay maybe not during the day, but at night I'll have you know I can carry at least three of you and ten Luffys."

"Stop acting like you're serious, you're not carrying me anywhere in the middle of the night." Sabo rolled his eyes, rubbing the side of his neck where soreness had begun to settle. "But I did hear from a little birdy that you guys head up to Luciera every year for the festival, true story?"

Ace scoffed in return, "You say that like you don't want me to carry you. But yeah, every year without fail we make it up to Luciera and partake in the festivities. It's the only week of the year I go outside the mountain range and stand so close to humans, I only started going in the recent decades but its fine so long as I don't get too close."

"Maybe because I don't?" he retorted to Ace’s comment but let the matter drop. "I've never been there, isn't it supposed to be pretty crowded though? Do you just hover around the edges or what? That doesn't sound nearly as fun."

Ace shrugged a shoulder before adding to his response, "It's more fun than staying at the castle alone and getting scolded for trying to kill the boredom by making an indoor swimming pool or luring a couple of bears in to play hunt and go seek." he confessed with a sheepish grin, "I mean I participate in things and rope Marco and Luffy into them so that I won't be surrounded by humans. Couple that with the fact that they soothe me,it helps immensely."

"Well I'm coming with you guys this year whether you like it or not, so either you or Izo are going to have to show me around, cause I don't trust Thatch at all," Sabo decided, nodding to himself.

"Well, you can't get Izo without Thatch in the festival, he hovers around her like a large lost puppy. So I guess I'm your dat- guide, I meant guide.”

"Really? That's cute, I bet Izo loves that," Sabo grinned. "You and I have got ourselves a deal."

"Izo looks forward to it," Ace agreed with a nod. “She and Thatch just get lost in the crowd content to smile and walk next to each other, and it's the one week of the year when Haruta and I promise to leave Thatch out of our pranks. But that means you're free game this year!" Ace said with sudden realization, a devilish smile appearing on his lips.

Sabo groaned, his head falling into his hands. "On second thought, I'm not coming with you."

"Hey a deal is a deal, there's no backing out now, though I guess you can chop your foot off to get out of it?" Ace suggested with a flippant shrug.

"Do it." He stuck out a leg to Ace, offering it. "Then you won't have to carry me anywhere and after I learn to walk on one foot I'll be ready to survive the trip next year, it's a win-win."

"Okay but remember that you asked for it," Ace warned and took Sabo’s leg in his hands, his smirk still evident as his eyes pulsed and his fangs elongated.

Ace held the foot up and in a quick movement, he dove in to bite Sabo’s ankle. And though the action very much looked like he had just sunk his teeth into the offered leg, Ace had retracted his fangs just before he bit down. Dulled teeth closed around Sabo's ankle gently as Ace pretended to bite Sabo and felt the odd tickling sensation on his own ankle.

Sabo's eye went impossibly wide and he flinched when Ace's teeth made contact with his ankle. When there was no immediate blood or pain though, his shoulders fell and he gave Ace the most unimpressed glare he could muster. "Ha ha, very funny." He bit down on his own tongue sharply, waiting for Ace to release his leg.

Ace hissed and released Sabo, but not before leaving a great deal of saliva on his ankle, pouting as he eased the pain out of his tongue. The moment the stinging vanished, he resumed his pouting. "You _asked_ me to!"

"I asked you to cut it off, not bite it off, idiot." Sabo continued to glare, wiping the spit off of his leg with disgust before wiping it on Ace's cheek.

Ace recoiled from the feeling of saliva on his cheek and relished in the reflected feeling he saw on Sabo's face; the blonde felt it on his face too, and Ace thanked their bond for that small present.

"Same shit Sabo, but my way was smarter. A saw would take too long and you'd bleed out in minutes, but vampire spit at least slows blood flow," he retorted. After a moment, he leaped at Sabo, pinning him back on the roof and rubbing his cheek against Sabo’s, wiping off the saliva though doing nothing to get rid of the feeling. The action was more based on principle than anything else after all.

Sabo frowned and huffed, glaring unimpressed at Ace’s childish behavior, but he too couldn't leave it at that. So with a rush of strength, Sabo managed to wedge some space between them and pushed against Ace, rolling them over until Sabo was on top and pinning Ace's limbs with his own corresponding ones. "While I appreciate the gesture, keep your nasty spit away from me, please and thank you," he said curtly, wiping his cheek back on Ace's forehead.

Ace rolled his eyes and relaxed his muscles for a minute under Sabo's hands and immediately tensing them in order to push off of the flat surface and turn the tables on Sabo in much the same way that the blonde had done before. Then it was Ace pinning Sabo to the roof by interlocked hands and his knees placed on either side of his hips and effectively straddling the ex-hunter, all the while a smile played in Ace’s eyes. "And if I don't?"

"Then that's a pretty creepy fetish you have there," Sabo chuckled, testing Ace's strength subtly. His position was sturdy though, and Sabo could barely move his body in any way that would be helpful for weaseling out. Maybe he should start training with Ace in the future, if he was capable of essentially immobilizing Sabo after a single move while he was this weak, how far could Sabo get when he was in top shape?

"To each their own." Ace shrugged a shoulder and took a moment to take in the sensory details that nagged at him. Ace could feel the coolness of his own skin where it met Sabo’s much warmer body.

"This isn't as uncomfortable as I would have thought," Ace mused aloud, looking down at Sabo and paused, coming to a sudden heart racing realization. Ace’s eyes widened impossibly as he realized just what sort of position they found themselves in.

Now maybe it was just Ace thinking too much on it, but how could he not think of it when they were so close to each other. Ace pressed so close to Sabo to the point where his face was less than five inches away from Sabo’s.

And the way that Sabo’s breath was ghosting across his chin and cheek was enough to make his insides burn, melt, and slosh around with some emotion he couldn't quite place. Then there was that one blue eye looking back up at him.

Ace swallowed, words dying on his tongue as he studied Sabo under the soft light of the moon, his golden hair glowing with a mesmerizing shimmering silver sheen. The light seemed to shift his hair into a soft halo and Ace had to refrain himself from reaching out and caressing the delicate crown. And his eye, was more beautiful than that, if it was even possible, Ace could see every diamond star in those eyes, he could see the entire universe within them and it only enraptured Ace further. “You're beautiful, Sabo.”

Sabo's sarcastic remark died on his tongue as the mood suddenly shifted. He blinked, surprised by the change, and a faint blush rose to his cheeks at the comment. A nervous laugh and a self-conscious smile bubbled up to his lips. "Yeah?"

Ace hardly felt the nod he gave, too caught up with the beauty that was under him. The burst of color on Sabo’s cheeks brought the ex-hunter’s heart rate up. Ace wasn't sure if it was due to their proximity or their link that he could feel every beat Sabo's heart gave resonate within him, but he didn't mind it, he all but drowned in the welcome sensation.

"Yes.” Ace replied without hesitance and not feeling like that was an adequate answer, he continued, “The blue in your eye is still a blue I want to never be without and one that will never be seen again by the likes of man... It's nearly indescribable, but it can be called beautiful and much more. But Sabo, _you're_ beautiful."

"Sap," Sabo muttered, though his face was burning under Ace's intense gaze.

"I...uh, thank you?" God, what was Sabo even supposed to say to that? It was like his mind was short circuiting, and all Sabo could do was just stare back at Ace dumbly. This was completely unexpected, and Sabo was hyper aware of every spot where they were touching like they were burning.

"You're hot," he blurted out dumbly, before hastily backtracking. "Your body is hot. Uh, I- I mean it's warm."

Ace's own blush broke through to color his freckled cheeks. And disoriented as he was, he tried to make sense of Sabo's remark. "I shouldn't be.. I lost circulation a long time ago." Ace tried to reason though the sudden fluttering feeling that was consuming his insides was making even that a larger feat than it should be.

"It's your blood... Your heart is making us warm. But I like it; being warm, being with you."

Sabo smiled up at Ace, almost wanting to laugh. This was just ridiculous in every way, but it was absolutely perfect too. "I'll just have to stick around to keep making you warm then."

Sabo tilted his head as best as he could, his one eye roaming over Ace's every feature. Ace was beautiful, absolutely and undeniably so. Beautiful in a way Sabo could hardly describe, alive and free like fire, yet smooth and sharp like ice. Sabo lacked the ability to come up with a good enough description, and he wondered if Ace was just one of those things you'll never be able to fully explain nor completely understand. He was a beautiful, intricate mystery.

"You're my soulmate," Sabo said simply, like that covered all of the wild half baked thoughts running wild through his head or a statement that would tame the butterflies rampaging in his stomach. It may have been too obvious of a fact, but Sabo felt that he had never said anything as truthful as that in his life.

To hear Sabo say the words aloud was something Ace had never thought would happen. Of course they had discussed the subject many times over and the term had been dropped here and there, but the way Sabo said the word, Ace could not deny there was affection there. The words were loaded with something Ace had never thought he would encounter anywhere else but with his family. There was love in those words and Ace nearly pulled away, the fluttering in his stomach suddenly turning into uncertainty.

However, he could not bring himself to do so. Ace remained there, basking in the warmth and the beauty that was Sabo, all the while taking a moment to commit every detail he possibly could to memory.

The distance between them was slowly closing until Ace was just hovering over Sabo, "I... Sabo." The words refused to slip past his lips and they absolutely refused to be formed out of the jumbled mess that was his train of thought. After the third attempt at a coherent word, Ace discarded the notion and mentally shrugged. He was never too great with words anyway, actions though...

Ace inched closer, his lips just over Sabo's until a tentative peck was placed on them feeling the featherlike touch on his own. He was afraid to open his eyes, but Ace had to gauge his reaction. With only a brief hesitation, Ace opened half lidded eyes and searched Sabo's face for his reaction.

Sabo's eyelids fluttered shut as Ace moved in closer, and when their lips met, that was it. There was no magical explosion nor burst of light or anything like that. It was a hesitant, nervous first kiss between two people who meant more to each other in the most complicated way that they could never hope explain. It was short, sweet, and absolutely perfect.

The aching in Sabo's chest intensified, and he felt the nerves- Ace's. He could see, hear, feel the question Ace was silently asking, _is this okay?_

Sabo discarded words and thoughts at that moment as well, and only wondered briefly why the had bothered with them in the first place. He and Ace didn't need words to talk, not in the slightest.

Sabo lifted his head for their lips to meet again, unable to stop smiling but unable to care about that or anything that wasn't Ace, right here, right now.

He had found his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're planning on an epilogue as well, so keep your eye out for that! Thank you for reading <3

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Golden Sun](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7957468) by [leafyxthiefy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafyxthiefy/pseuds/leafyxthiefy)




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